Architecture Rooted in Listening
A practice built on a simple conviction. Meaningful design begins with the people it is for.
Elmira Aghsaei
Elmira Aghsaei is the founder and principal architect of EA Architecture. She is AIBC Registered. WELL Certified. A mentor with UBC SALA, and past Chair of Women in Architecture Vancouver.
She grew up in Tabriz, Iran, in a family where architecture and advocacy met at the dinner table. Her mother is a structural engineer. Her father is a human rights advocate. Both built things from nothing.
She earned her Bachelor of Architecture in Tabriz, then her Master of Architecture from the University of Calgary. While there, she led the 2013 Team Alberta Solar Decathlon — a competition for net-zero modular housing design.
After graduating, she spent over a decade contributing to landmark projects across British Columbia. Residential towers. Mixed-use developments. Schools. Institutional buildings. She founded EA Architecture in 2024 to practise differently. Smaller portfolio. Longer client relationships. Active listening at the centre of every project.
Four Principles, Applied to Every Project
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Active listening.
Before a single line is drawn, we want to understand how you live, who lives with you, and what the space has to do for you over the next twenty years. The earliest stage is the most important. Most of it is listening.
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Design in harmony with nature and context.
Every project starts with the site. Sun path. Prevailing wind. Sightlines, neighbours, trees, the history of the land. The building emerges from those conditions, not in spite of them.
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Design that supports physical and mental health.
Daylight. Air quality. Acoustics. Material choices. Thermal comfort. These are decisions made on day one, not features added at the end.
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Creating a sense of belonging.
A home or community building should feel like it knows who it is for. That sense of fit is the goal of the entire process, not a side effect of it.
Our meaningful design approach emerges from creating harmonious designs that create a sense of warmth and belonging while creating a space that enhances physical and mental health.Elmira Aghsaei Architecture
A Practice Backed by Standards
Over a Decade, Five Firms, Buildings Across British Columbia
Before founding her own practice, Elmira contributed to landmark projects across the province.
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1515 Alberni
Architect and Interior Designer, more than 30 residential unit layouts including penthouse suites.
At former employer, Francl Architecture.
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Senākw
Architect responsible for the intersection of public and private realm, commercial spaces, the fitness centre, and the overall site master plan.
At former employer, Revery Architecture.
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3 Civic Plaza Tower
Construction documentation, construction administration, and consultant coordination for hotel amenity space.
At former employer, ZGF Architects.
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New Westminster Secondary School
Architect and Interior Design Lead.
At former employer, KMBR Architecture.
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Deloitte Summit
Architect on construction drawings and construction administration, including detailing of the lighting and main stair.
At former employer, Omicron Architecture.
Let's Build Something That Lasts
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