Welcome New Team Members

We welcomed two new staff members to the team this month: Nora Boctor and Erica Dent. Nora is an Intern Architect, registered with the AAA, who has nine years of experience in both Architecture and Interior Design. She has a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Khartoum and has spent the past four years building her career in Canada. She is currently working through the Internship process and hopes to be a Registered Architect in Alberta soon. Nora brings experience with multiple project types, scopes, and sizes—from concept design through coordination and delivery.

Erica Dent is a Financial Accountant with 20+ years of experience in financial management and accounting systems. She holds a Diploma in Advanced Business Management and E-commerce and is adept with a variety of accounting software programs. Erica is responsible for maintaining financial records, managing accounts payable/receivable, performing bank/credit card reconciliations, processing payroll, calculating and filing GST returns, and the like. She will be working primarily with our CFO, Tracy Graff, keeping abreast of all things financial. Welcome Nora and Erica!

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Our Sustainable Architecture Commitment

Sustainable design is a key element of project development at Berry Architecture. As pollution and carbon levels rapidly increase, the construction industry can be at the forefront of advancement. According to the UN Environment Programme, about 40% of global emissions come from buildings and, of that, up to 75% comes directly from building operations. At Berry Architecture, we have developed practical systems and processes to reduce this impact with very little change to the capital cost. We design buildings to be energy reducers from the start—we utilize in-house energy modeling as a design tool and Lifecycle Carbon Reduction Assessment tools to reduce operational impact on the environment, while saving our clients hundreds of dollars each month.

To find out more about what you can do to reduce your building’s footprint on the environment, contact our Sustainability Specialist, Kirsten Weiss, at 587.797.3244. Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram to check out our weekly “Berry Bite” which poses Q&A about sustainability in the built environment.

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Project Anniversary: LTCHS Modernization

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the completion of the project that put Berry Architecture on the map! The modernization of Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School in Red Deer was a landmark project for us as a new firm. It was originally awarded in 2000, just two years after our inception. The project was undertaken with two partnering architects, Kees Prins and John Hull, and due to funding delays, did not get underway until 2003. Project completion was 2006, and it was fully occupied and functional throughout the process. It was a full-scale modernization, including demolition, renovation, and new additions, and transformed the tired and sprawling building into what it is today. This included an open-space science park, state-of-the-art drama and music facilities, NBA and International Volleyball standard gym, and preservation of the comprehensive automotive and CTS wings. In 2021, we undertook the renovation of the final piece of the school, with a building envelope reno of the three-storey south tower which was not included in the original project. Our Marketing Coordinator, Avery Grainger, an LTCHS grad, recently took new photos to mark the occasion. It has held up so well!

Here are some things we’ve been up to:

Tracey Evans completed the Construction Specifications Canada (CSC) Specifier Course (SPEC) in December 2025 and received notification of successful completion this January. This course is another step on her journey to becoming a fully qualified Specification Writer with our firm. Congratulations, Tracey!

On January 12th, we had to do some servicing work on our fig tree in the lobby of the Red Deer office. Replacing the cracked and leaking tray under the pot was a large-scale undertaking and many hands were required!

On January 13th, four team members completed the VFA training for Alberta Infrastructure Facility Assessments. Sarah, Dustin, Marie, and Gord took part in the training as part of our facility evaluation team, joining several other team members who have been completing AI evaluations for many years.

January 11th - 16th saw George on the road to Toronto and Kelowna, checking in with our teams and clients. He was in Toronto for one day monitoring an office tower renovation and meeting with project consultant Saba Mushtaq. Then off to Kelowna to work with the Kelowna team and meet with current and prospective clients.

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Did you know?

Although mass timber is a wood-based product, it can have excellent fire resistance because its thick layers char on the exterior when exposed to fire. That char forms a protective barrier that slows combustion and helps maintain structural strength longer than regular light-wood framing. Tests have shown mass timber to perform as well as steel or concrete when exposed to fire for hours.

Sources: Large-scale fire tests of a mass timber building structure for MTDFTP

GreenSpec: Cross-Laminated Timber/CLT: Fire Resistance and Rating

Pictured below is a Berry Architecture project which incorporated mass timber elements (Beaver First Nation Admin Building).