My path to architecture wasn't a straight line — I started with a business degree at UBC before finding my way to design through BCIT and a Master's at the University of Calgary. That route gave me an appreciation for both the creative and practical sides of building a home, and it still shapes how I approach every project. Between running my own studio, hv design, and my work at BOP Architects, I've come to believe good residential architecture sits at the intersection of careful listening and confident decision-making.

I'm especially drawn to single-family homes because they're deeply personal — every project is a chance to understand how someone actually lives and translate that into a space that fits them. You don’t get that with multi-family high-rise residential. Renovations are some of the most challenging work I take on; navigating the constraints of existing structure, upgrading thermal performance, and reconciling old with new demands a level of rigour that sharpens every design decision. I believe the strongest projects start with a good parti — a clear, well-reasoned concept that everything else can hang from. When the idea is strong, the design and construction decisions follow naturally.

Just as much as the technical side, I care about the people side of the work. I'm a team player and genuinely enjoy working with clients, and I tend to push past the purely professional veneer — we're all human at the end of the day, and projects go better when everyone feels comfortable being themselves. That approach extends to the trades too: I've built a strong relationship with my current builder, who I now count as a friend, and that kind of trust shows up in the quality of what gets built.

For me, architecture is ultimately about quietly shaping daily life — the way morning light moves through a kitchen, where you sit to enjoy your first cup of coffee. But those small moments only land when the bigger picture is right. A well-designed home, in my view, is one considered holistically — every individual part communicating with the next to form a cohesive whole. Layout, placement, visual hierarchy, and light-driven moves all have to work alongside a material palette built on contrast: transparent against opaque, rough against smooth, dark against light, natural against artificial. All of those moves are speaking to something — and that something is the parti. When every decision ties back to a single clear concept, the result isn't just a house that works; it's a home that feels right to live in.

Work:

Principal + Founder, hv design ltd. - Vancouver, BC 2019-Present

Intern Architect, AIBC, BOP Architects - Vancouver, BC 2024-Present

Intern Architect, AIBC, Buttjes Architecture - Burnaby, BC 2023-2024

Architectural Technologist, Chris Dikeakos Architects - Burnaby, BC 2016-2019

Education:

Master’s of Architecture - University of Calgary, SAPL - Graduate studies, 2020-2023

Architectural CADD and Graphics Technician - British Columbia Institute of Technology - Certificate, 2015-16

Bachelor’s of Management - University of British Columbia - Undergraduate, 2009-2014

Software:

  • Revit (10 years)

  • Adobe Illustrator/Photoshop (+20 years)

  • Rhino (6 years)

  • Bluebeam (8 years)

  • Autodesk ACC/Forma (1 year)

  • D5 Render (3 years)

  • Sketchup (4 years)

  • Lumion (3 years)

  • Enscape (5 years)

Experience:

  • High-rise multi-family residential + Mixed-use developments (7 years): BC lower mainland, Los Angeles, and Seattle.

  • Single-family residential (7 years): Vancouver, Burnaby, North Vancouver, Whistler, and Victoria.

  • RFP’s, Contract negotiating, Client relationship building, project coordination, project lead, website development, marketing + branding, running a business, construction documentation, schematic design, and design development.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harmen-verbrugge-54031a58/