New Partner & Associate Appointments
In recognition of their exceptional contribution to our client’s needs, their professionalism, design expertise and leadership while advancing the firm’s values we are pleased to announce the following new Partner, Senior Associate and Associate appointments.
Earl Mark – Partner
Earl Mark graduated from McGill University in 1999, and the following year, he began his career at CORE. He has been an active contributor to the growth of the office and has helped deliver many projects with a high level of excellence from both a design and documentation perspective that has become synonymous with CORE.
Believing in the old adage that if something is to be done, it should be done right, Earl oversees projects in all phases of development, navigating considerations of both the client and the city, ensuring projects are aligned with the design intent. Earl has led many projects that required coordination of not only stakeholder interest but also involving public participation. He also plays a significant role in projects that have helped reshape neighbourhoods such as the Byward Market and Centretown in Ottawa and Allenbury Gardens in Toronto, to larger urban environments such as the Dubai Marina.
Being involved in the growth of the office since its early years, Earl has helped establish many of the processes and standards employed by CORE. He provides leadership within the office, including mentoring and assisting project teams in design, and addressing regulatory or technical concerns.
Gabriela Estrada – Partner
Gabriela Estrada grew up in Monterrey, Mexico, graduating from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (I.T.E.S.M) in 1991 with a Bachelor of Architecture. After a successful career practicing architecture in Mexico, she immigrated to Canada and joined CORE in 1998.
During her initial tenure at CORE Gabriela worked on various projects including condominiums, private homes, and restaurants. In 2001, she became the point of contact for MAC Cosmetics when CORE became the Architect of Record for the brand. Under her stewardship, a 15-year relationship would develop that would result in 1,300 retail deployments with the brand. During this time, Gabriela became a driving force in the evolution of the retail studio, and in the past 16 years, the team has been responsible for over 1,500 retail rollouts and over 1.3 million square feet of retail space globally.
In addition to the management of the retail studio, Gabriela’s primary focus is new clientele, client relations, and attracting high profile brands including SONY, Lacoste, Limited Brands, Adidas, H&M and Saks off Fifth. She has also been instrumental in expanding CORE’s retail practice into the United States where we are now licensed in thirty-three states.
She has attended retail conferences in Madrid, Athens, London, New York, Singapore, Dubai, and Dusseldorf expanding her knowledge of retail trends and practices globally.
Brian Laye – Senior Associate
Raised in Northern Saskatchewan and rural Ontario, Brian earned a Bachelor of Architecture Sciences at Ryerson Polytechnic University in 2005 and a Master of Architecture at the University of Toronto in 2010. He has over 15 years of Architectural experience in both architecture and landscape architecture firms. His project experience includes master planning, multi-unit and single-family residential buildings, and community parks and plazas.
Brian joined CORE Architects in 2010 where he has participated in numerous condominium projects from low rise projects of only 11 storeys to large multi-tower projects up to 88 storeys, including The One in partnership with Foster + Partners and most recently M City Phases 1 and 2.
Daniel Lee – Senior Associate
Daniel Lee was born in Lancashire, England, graduating from Liverpool JM University in 2004 with a Bachelor Honours in International Architecture. He also holds a post-graduate Diploma in Architecture and is a LEED accredited professional and a RIBA Qualified Architect. With over 14 years of design experience in Canada and internationally, he joined CORE Architects in 2010.
His project experience includes master planning and all occupancy classes. Daniel has been responsible for our work with clients such as Porsche and Cineplex and has completed over 30 projects nationally, including the new Cineplex Rec Room entertainment complexes.
Eric Tang – Senior Associate
Eric studied at Ryerson University and graduated in 1999 with a Bachelor of Technology. Eric has over 19 years of Canadian and International architectural experience, he has worked with all occupancy classes which includes multi-residential, hospitality, institutional, medical, commercial, retail, industrial and municipal infrastructure work.
Eric joined CORE in 2009 and became an associate in 2010. Eric’s role at CORE has been strongly focused on various condominium projects for numerous developers. His experience also includes the management of numerous hospitality projects such as the Ritz Carlton renovations.
Peter Arth – Senior Associate
Peter Arth was born and raised in Burlington, Ontario. He studied at Mohawk College and Ryerson University, graduating with a Bachelor of Technology in 1996. He worked for KNY Architects in Burlington after graduation before moving to Toronto in 1999 and joining CORE. After a three-year hiatus in 2006 at HPA, Peter returned to CORE in 2009 and became an Associate in 2010.
Peter has 22 years of Canadian and international architectural experience, which includes multi-residential, hospitality, institutional, commercial, and retail projects. Peter’s role at CORE has been to provide contract documentation for our numerous condominium projects.
Dena Mousapour – Associate
Dena graduated from the Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran in 2007 with a Bachelor of Architecture. She has over ten years of project architect experience, including master-planning, recreational and sports facilities, and performing art centres.
Dena joined CORE in 2013 and while she has been involved in all stages of project delivery, her strong background in design has been an asset to the firm during the concept design and design development phases of various projects. She has worked on notable projects including The One, M City Condominiums Phase 1 and 3, and several of our projects in Dubai.
Georgia Siourounis – Associate
Georgia studied Architecture at Ryerson University, graduating with a Bachelor of Architectural Science in 2007. She joined CORE in 2012 and has been working exclusively on our high-rise residential projects.
She has taken a lead role in the master-planned community at Central Park and for the technically complex office and condominium conversion of The Residences of 488 University. She has been responsible for ensuring positive client experiences, managing consultants and trades, communicating with city officials, and coordinating with the Toronto Transit Commission all while maintaining the integrity of the established design intent.
Saina Hamidi – Associate
Saina received a Master’s degree in Architecture in 2005 from Azad University of Iran (AUI). She moved to Canada in 2013 and been with CORE since then. With over 13 years of experience with various architectural classes internationally, including medical, industrial, and hospitality before joining CORE. Saina’s current role is focused primarily on our condominium projects, including 6th and 10th in Calgary and The Residences of 488 University.
