London-based International architecture and interiors practice Arney Fender Katsalidis strengthens its presence in North America with the appointment of Martin Sparrow, an eminent architect responsible for major buildings in Canada. Martin joins the newly launched Toronto office as a Director leading Architecture and responsible for Canada.
Since launching five years ago in London, Arney Fender Katsalidis has grown strongly from a standing start, to 80 people in the UK. Now the business also has a transatlantic presence, having opened a studio in Toronto in November 2017 which now has grown to 15 staff.
This major hire follows several successful projects in North America, including the competition-winning Brookfield Place in Calgary, and the award-winning interior architecture of Deloitte’s Montreal and Toronto Headquarters.
Martin’s appointment signals a move in Canada to a broader architectural focus to match the practice’s studio in London and sister studios in Australia.
With over 30 years’ of experience and an exceptional track record of successfully guiding large-scale projects to completion for a broad range of clients, Martin is a significant appointment for the fast-growing practice.
Martin’s portfolio focuses on sustainability and wellness in the commercial mixed-use sector and includes significant projects such as Bankers Court in Calgary, the first LEED® CS Gold Certified project in Canada; and the James Michael Flaherty Building in Ottawa, a LEED® Gold Certified P3 project for Public Works and Government Services Canada.
Martin was previously Principal-in-Charge of leading Canadian architecture practice Dialog. Since 2013, Arney Fender Katsalidis has worked collaboratively with Martin after winning a competition to design Brookfield Place – a 2.4 million sq ft mixed-use development in downtown Calgary, which includes the tallest building in Western Canada. Arney Fender Katsalidis also partnered with Martin on the 1 million sq ft interior fit-out of the project.
Earle Arney, CEO, Arney Fender Katsalidis said:
“Martin’s appointment is a major milestone in the practice’s expansion into Canada and our growing global profile. Martin has been a long-term collaborator and trusted friend to the practice and we welcome his talent and his enthusiasm and enormous experience into the team. Working together with our leadership team in Canada, Martin will help to expand our client network and harness the exciting business opportunities that Toronto and North America presents, as we broaden our focus in Canada, from workplace interiors to architecture. We are confident that Martin’s appointment and our growing body of projects will help us reach a similar ambitious growth trajectory to when we opened our London, UK studio five years ago.”
Martin Sparrow added:
“It is with great pleasure that I announce joining Arney Fender Katsalidis – it is an ambitious, visionary firm that I have enjoyed a long-standing working collaboration with, on phenomenal and exciting projects. I have enormous respect for the quality of the output of the practice, and relish the challenge of building the firm’s presence and architectural work in North America, and welcoming many long-standing clients to join me on this journey”