Piers Cunnington
Architect AIBC MRAIC / Principal
Piers was an established business professional with a career in account and project management in the information technology sector when he took a course in managing creative teams and awoke to the fact that he wanted to become an architect.
At that point he zealously pursued a second career, earning accolades and multiple awards along the way. Three summers interning at Shim-Sutcliffe Architects in Toronto, one of the nation’s top architectural firms, gave Piers the opportunity to put his theoretical knowledge into practice on prestigious projects like the Bet Ha’am Synagogue in Portland, Maine, and the Harrison Island Cabin in Georgian Bay, Ontario.
Piers joined Measured in 2009 and became a principal in 2014. At Measured, he combines the skills honed in business — problem solving, mediation and collaboration — with his keen sense of design and composition to help clients, the Measured team and collaborators reach successful, functional and aesthetically beautiful consequences.
I grew up
In a typical 1920s brick house with a covered porch in Hamilton, Ontario, until I was 10.
Education
Master of Architecture, 2009 / University of Toronto
Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and History, 1995 / University of Guelph
Notable accomplishments
Award for Academic Excellence, 2007 / University of Toronto Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design
Greater Toronto Airport Authority Award for overall excellence and potential for leadership, 2006 / University of Toronto Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design
Entrance Bursary, 2005 / University of Toronto Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design
Why Measured?
I was looking for an opportunity to begin my architecture career in a small firm where I could grow, take responsibility and collaborate. That was Measured and especially Clinton — he’s a true collaborator who understands it’s a false conceit to think that any one person is solely responsible for a design.
Earliest architectural memory
When I was three or four years old, I would go to Massey College at the University of Toronto where my grandfather was dean. You had to go through this imposing iron gate and gatehouse to get to the sequestered and protected courtyard space designed with the gothic majesty and modernism that only Ron Thom has managed to master.
I’m drawn to design because
I thrive on the optimism associated with believing that we can have a positive influence on what the world looks like. We work with clients to dream this stuff up and at the end of the day there’s this physical manifestation of our ideas that wasn’t there before. That’s why I come to work.
Favourite space
Backcountry skiing off the backside of Blackcomb Mountain by the glacier on Dekker Lake.
I love working with clients because
They set the initial trajectory of what they want their house or project to look like and act like. That enthusiasm and aspiration energizes me.
I chose Vancouver because
I like to play outside and if you want to do that and live in an urban centre this is the best place in Canada to do it.
I’m inspired by
People who have a combination of enthusiasm, curiosity and modesty.
Ball point or felt tip?
Felt tip. I like the variability of the line weight and it helps my horrible writing look better.
Favourite object
My cyclecross bike because it’s a combination of serious and absurd.
I’m my best self when
I’m outside riding or skiing — and when I have a family member with me, that’s even better.