Nelson Architecture Inc.
Incorporated in 1995, the firm provides architectural, planning and interior design services throughout Northwestern Ontario. Since that time the practise has designed and administered work for significant clientele including the City of Kenora, the Kenora District Services Board, the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board, the Kenora District Catholic School Board and the Seven Generations Education Institute.
Nelson Architecture has received various awards in recent years, including two Canadian Wood Council awards in 2011 for the Lake of the Woods Discovery Centre as well as for a continuing body of work that included St. Thomas Aquinas High School and the Northern Ontario Sportfishing Centre. In 2015 the firm was awarded the Northern Ontario Excellence Award for the Ste. Margeurite Bourgeoys Kindergarten addition. The firm’s design of the Seven Generations Centre for Advanced Technology and Skills building won the Ontario Wood Council’s Institution Award in 2021.
Work Culture
Nelson Architecture is a multi-disciplinary architecture firm located in Kenora, Ontario. It is a studio-based firm committed to design quality and value, addressing the unique geophysical, cultural and financial context of each individual project. We are committed to sustainable design and exploration of pragmatic technologies and formal strategies leading to healthier, more efficient and more responsible developments.
The firm is dedicated to the collaborative team approach and have worked successfully on numerous projects which capitalize on broadly diversified team expertise. The team approach has allowed us to tailor services and expertise and ‘right size’ staff and consultant resources in accordance with specific project requirements.
Nelson Architecture’s expertise spans a very broad range of building types from bespoke residences to large institutional, commercial and industrial facilities.
Sustainable Design
Nelson Architecture is committed to sustainable design in the development of the building form and the selection of building systems. In our climate, a concentration of energy conservation through efficient envelope design is the first step in the reduction of energy use. A large emphasis is placed on the detailing of the building envelope to minimize infiltration and optimize insulation levels. An example of this is the use of SIP (structural insulated panels), such as the Seven Generations Centre for Advanced Technology and Skills, to reduce heat loss and infiltration substantially over conventional construction.
Alternative energy production has been utilized in a number of buildings. Passive solar walls have been utilized in both the Portage Youth Centre and the Wabigoon Multi-use Centre to preheat outside air by approximately 15 degrees C with no moving parts and a minimum capital premium. The Northwestern Ontario Sportfishing Centre utilizes a PV wall and an air plenum behind to both produce electricity and by extracting excess heat from the panels to preheat incoming fresh air to the building. The Kenora Firehall uses collected rainwater from its roof to fill the pumper trucks and wash the vehicles. Approximately 130,000 gallons/year can be utilized and offload municipal water supplies.
