Kongats Architects

Kongats Architects is located in Toronto and has been in practice for 20 years. It is comprised of principal Alar Kongats, and senior associates Danielle Lam-Kulczak, Philip Toms and Adam Trotter. Our team’s approach to design is phenomenological. Our projects come from observing context, tone, scale and existing patterns of activity. They reflect an appropriateness of program and quietness resulting from their sensitivity to what is existing, an observation echoed in reviews of our work by such critics as Adele Freedman, Marco Polo, Lisa Rochon and Lola Sheppard. “This building equally calls into question what we might mean by contextualism or regional specificity. The Hespeler Library is an uncompromising modern building, yet through a series of gestures - its subtle historical references, its scale, the way it holds the street corner, the entry forecourt, the play of reflections off existing buildings - it respects yet invigorates the surrounding historic fabric.” Lola Sheppard, Canadian Architect, Hespeler Library, October 2007 The built work is realized using budget conscious techniques, reflecting our ability to achieve the most value for our client’s investment while producing innovative design. For us, design is rational and strictly edited to ensure the projects’ fundamental ambitions are never compromised while architecturally creating exceptional experiences for daily life. The firm’s work has been honoured with many awards, including: 2012 Governor General’s Medal for Architecture (University of Toronto Mississauga’s Terrence Donnelly Health Sciences Complex) 2012 OAA Architectural Excellence Award “Best of Show” (University of Toronto Mississauga’s Terrence Donnelly Health Sciences Complex) 2012 OAA Architectural Excellence Award (University of Toronto Mississauga’s Terrence Donnelly Health Sciences Complex) 2010 Canadian Architect Design Excellence Award of Merit (University of Toronto Mississauga’s Terrence Donnelly Health Sciences Complex) 2010 Ontario Library Association Design Excellence Award (Hespeler Library) 2010 Zero Footprint Re-Skinning Award (Hespeler Library) 2008 OAA Architectural Excellence Award (Hespeler Library) 2006 Nomination for the prestigious New York Architectural League’s Emerging Voices Prize 2004 Canadian Architect Design Excellence Award (Hespeler Library) 2002 Governor General’s Medal for Architecture (Centennial College Student Centre) 2002 OAA Architectural Excellence Award (Centennial College Student Centre)