Welcome to JDa
At JDa, we pair design excellence with the desire to provide our clients with affordable solutions that seamlessly integrate innovation and sustainability. Our areas of focus include complex public projects, with a particular interest in protective services, education and healthcare, as well as feasibility studies and master site plans. While we are proud of our reputation for success in these areas, we are especially excited about our expertise in colocation facilities that mix municipal services with other uses such as affordable housing and/or other civic operations. We are currently working on firehall, healthcare and community-focused projects across Western Canada, many of which incorporate innovative and sustainable design components such as wood design for post-disaster seismic durability, LEED certification and innovative stormwater management.
Process
Our design process, while focused on solution-oriented creativity, also prioritizes connection and communication, resulting in projects that are uniquely suited to the needs of a community. We take a personal approach from start to finish — from initial meetings with clients and their stakeholders, conceptualization, charrettes and renderings, to consultant collaboration, materials selection, permitted drawings and construction oversight. Because our core team is small, we guarantee that one of our senior partners will always lead your project.
Culture
At JDa, our architects and technologists work closely with everyone who has a stake in the buildings and spaces we help create — our clients, colleagues, communities and end users. Led by JDa Principal Kimberly Johnston, Senior Associate John Botelho and Senior Associate Edward Craig, we are a firm of forward-thinking people who subscribe to the philosophy that the best architecture is a conversation that evolves as one learns more about the site, the program and the client.
” Architecture is not about being right or wrong — it’s about the continual conversation from the general to the particular. ”
Kim Johnston, PrincipalLegacy
Douglas Johnston and Ian Davidson opened their namesake architectural studio over 40 years ago. The partners, lifetime members of the Architectural Institute of British Columbia, realized early on that every contribution to our environment, no matter how small, would forever affect the way people lived. As such, they worked to create a thriving firm that strove to capture the essence of life in the built form.
While not interested in the “starchitect” mentality, Douglas and Ian did believe in the value that architects brought to the table, and always fought to be heard. This legacy has been preserved at JDa, where the lessons of hard work, perseverance and discipline is part of the studio’s DNA.