About Us - Shadow Riftal Architecture

Our Story

Started back in 2011 with three friends, a borrowed desk, and way too much coffee. We'd just come off working for some of those massive corporate firms where everything felt... sterile, y'know?

Wanted to create spaces that actually responded to how people live – not just check boxes on some developer's spreadsheet. Toronto's got this amazing energy, this mix of old brick and new glass, and we figured our work should reflect that tension.

The name? Everyone asks. It's about those in-between moments – dawn, dusk, the way light cuts through a space and completely transforms it. That's where the magic happens.

The Team

People who'll actually answer your emails and get what you're trying to build

Sarah Chen

Principal Architect

Spent 8 years doing green building certs before realizing she could actually design the buildings herself. Obsessed with passive solar design and won't shut up about thermal mass.

Marcus Rodriguez

Urban Design Lead

Used to skateboard through Toronto's alleys as a kid, now he designs them. Has this weird gift for seeing how neighborhoods actually flow instead of how planners think they should.

Priya Sandhu

Heritage Restoration Specialist

Fell in love with Toronto's old industrial buildings and made it her mission to save 'em. Can spot original crown molding from across a room and knows every brick supplier within 200km.

James Park

Interior Space Wizard

Elena Kowalski

Commercial Projects Lead

David Osei

Residential Design

Lisa Tran

Sustainability Consultant

How We Got Here

2011 - The Beginning

Three of us quit our jobs on the same day (completely unplanned, actually). Met up at a bar, sketched our first project concept on a napkin. Still have that napkin framed in the office – it's for a building we never built but it got us thinking differently.

2013 - First Big Break

Landed the Liberty Village mixed-use project. Client took a massive chance on us – we were nobodies. Building's still standing, won some awards, and proved we weren't just talking about sustainable design, we could actually pull it off.

2016 - Expansion Year

Moved from that cramped space above the coffee shop to our current studio on Queen West. Hired our first full-time team members. Started getting calls for projects outside Toronto – Ottawa, Montreal, even got one in Vancouver.

2019 - Heritage Focus

Started specializing in heritage restoration after Priya joined. Toronto's got so many incredible old buildings that just need someone who actually gives a damn. Now it's like half our portfolio and honestly the most rewarding work we do.

2022 - Net-Zero Push

Committed to making all our new builds net-zero by 2026. Ambitious? Yeah. Possible? We're figuring it out. Had to learn a ton about new materials and systems, but climate change isn't gonna wait for us to get comfortable.

2025 - Today

Team of 23 now. Working on projects from single-family homes to 15-story commercial towers. Still operate out of Toronto, still answer our own phones sometimes, still believe good design shouldn't be a luxury for the rich.

What We Stand For

Look, every firm says they care about sustainability and client needs and blah blah. Here's what actually drives us:

Honest Materials

If it's concrete, let it look like concrete. If it's wood, show the grain. We're so tired of everything being covered in fake finishes.

Real Sustainability

Not just slapping some solar panels on a poorly designed building and calling it green. We're talking proper orientation, thermal performance, materials that'll actually last.

Community Context

Your building's gonna sit in a neighborhood for decades. It better respect what's around it while still doing its own thing.

Budget Reality

We'll tell you upfront what things actually cost. No surprise overruns, no fancy renderings of stuff you can't afford. Design works best when everyone's honest about the money.

Wanna Work Together?

Whether you've got a full vision or just a vague idea, let's talk it through over coffee

Get In Touch