Our New Partner: Suman Chakraborty

Senior Architect Suman Chakraborty has become a full partner in the firm! He joined our team in October, 2024 with the goal of becoming a partner. Suman is a Registered Architect with the AAA and AIBC and a member of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, as well as an associate member of the Indian Institute of Architects. He brings 30 years of experience to the firm and has worked with world-class international architecture firms in Singapore, India, Bahrain, Oman, and the U.K. Since moving to Canada in 2007, he has worked in Calgary, Red Deer, and Kelowna. He is a senior member of our architectural team and is based in the Kelowna office. Of course, he also contributes to the design and coordination of projects in all the regions we serve. Congratulations, Suman! (Pictured below, top right: partners; bottom right: executive team. The photo above is our architectural team.)

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Project Completion: Steeples School

Child Care Centre

A new child care centre in Cranbrook, BC is now complete! This centre is a stand-alone building located on the site of Steeples Elementary School. The centre will be used for a Strong Start program (ages 0 to 5); and in the before and after school hours, the space will also be used for school-aged care (ages 5 to 12). The child care centre includes a kitchen, two offices, washrooms, storage area, mechanical room, and a main play area of approximately 125 m². The interior will provide an inviting, functional, and safe environment for the children. There is also an appropriately-sized enclosed outdoor play space on the site.

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Welcome New Team Member!

The Red Deer office gained another key team member in November! Kurtis McArthur is a Senior Architectural Technologist and Revit Specialist. He has worked in the construction and design industries for 20 years and has experience training and mentoring technologists and designers in Revit skills and workflows, as well as implementing software. Kurtis is also a Red Seal Journeyman Carpenter and contributes his hands-on construction knowledge to all his projects. He is a highly proficient addition to our production team. Welcome, Kurtis!

Here are some things we’ve been up to:

On November 18th, we attended the “Learning Without Limits” capital campaign dinner at the Kelowna Yacht Club in support of Flex Academy. George, Isaac, Carlos, and Suman attended the event. Berry Architecture was a major sponsor, and George spoke about our commitment to high-quality education.

Kirsten and Avery attended an all-day conference entitled, “Materials That Matter,” on November 18th in Calgary. The event was a panel-style symposium about finding and using more environmentally-friendly materials in the construction industry, plus a smart sustainable technology showcase of innovative products.

On December 4th, Angela, Alvin, Gordon, and Ray attended the 12th Annual Red Deer Construction Association’s Christmas Breakfast. This event is a great way to network and reconnect with people in the industry that we don’t always see on a regular basis. It is also a good fundraiser for the Red Deer Food Bank since attendees were asked to bring a donation.ac and Dustin

Isaac and Dustin attended the Columbia Valley Housing Symposium in Radium, BC on December 4th. It was encouraging to see so many diverse partners in attendance. BAA had a tradeshow booth, and we were happy to be part of the conversations seeking solutions to the ongoing regional housing crisis. There is a lot of interest in promoting attainable housing in the Columbia Valley/East Kootenay region.

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Did you know?

In the first half of 2025—for the first time ever—renewable energy generated more electricity globally than coal. Examples of renewable energy sources include solar, wind, hydropower, and geothermal. Talk to us at Berry Architecture about how we can use our expertise in sustainable design to save you money using renewable energy sources in your next project!

Source:

https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/global-electricity-mid-year-insights-2025/