Walter Powell, Retired Architect AIBC

“Walter is a creative genius. It’s just that simple.”
Douglas D. Mont Tremblant Quebec

Walter Powell has more than thirty years experience providing custom home planning and design to clients interested in creating family oriented estates and legacy properties.

Throughout his career Walter has worked on projects ranging in scale from single family homes to hotels and resort complexes and he has always endeavored to incorporate green building design and construction principles in his work.

His work has included projects in off-the-grid living on remote sites, B&B’s, spas, retreats, self-sufficient homes, boutique hotels, restaurants, community living, assisted living, a genome laboratory and general health care projects.

Walter has been interested in solar energy, environmental design and renewable resources since the early 70’s. During that time he designed and built one of the first active solar energy systems in Canada as a retrofit to a heritage museum building in Ontario which was the largest solar energy project in Canada at the time.

In the early 80’s Walter worked on a team of consultants developing disaster relief housing based on forms found in nature for the United Nations. He also created a study of iconic forms found in the Canadian resource based industries for the Canada Council which was presented at the National Gallery of Canada for the 100 year celebration of photography in Architecture.

As an associate partner in a sixty person firm in Vancouver in the late 80’s, Walter’s work to rezone a timber frame warehouse in Gastown to accommodate artists’ live/work studios and roof gardens won an Urban Design Award and opened the way for the development of Gastown and Yaletown as world class models in urban living.

Through his professional practice in Whistler BC in the 90’s, Walter was involved in many projects that incorporated green design principles in site planning, resource management, modular design, renewable building materials and alternate energy sources.

Here on the Sunshine Coast Walter has been involved in the project site planning of up to 139 acres, has designed the Sparling Pavilion at the Sunshine Coast Botanical Garden Society and has designed many private homes and estates including off-the-grid self-sufficient homes on various islands and remote properties.

Walter studied Systems Design Engineering at the University of Waterloo and has a degree in Architecture with Distinction from Carleton University and a Bachelors of Computing Science from New York University. Walter also studied art history and architecture at the Academy of Rome as part of Carleton University's directed studies abroad program.

Throughout his career Walter has given many lectures and seminars in Architecture and Solar Energy Design and has taught at Carleton University as an Assistant Professor at the Acedemy of Rome, Italy and the University of British Columbia.

As an advisor and consultant to Fortune 500 companies and Governments in Canada, The United States, England, France, The United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, Walter clearly understands the benefits of teamwork and the value of diverse contributions across cultures.

"Walter Powell is one of those unique architectural professionals who have gone way beyond the conventional boundaries of the practice.

His contribution to the incorporation of burgeoning technologies in the service of all aspects of architecture makes him uniquely valuable.

There are very few individuals I know who can demonstrate such versatility and continue to remain on the cutting edge of this synthetic pursuit among technology on the one hand and the building industry on the other."

Gulzar Haider, Ph.D., B. Arch. Director, Center for Applied Architectural Research

Walter’s true love and talent is designing custom homes for family legacy properties and working with people to help them realize their dreams.

Walter has been designing custom homes now for almost 40 years and has been located on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia for the last 20 of those years.

The best measure of how successful and creative Walter’s work has been is to listen to what his associates and clients are saying:

"Walter Powell is one of the most creative and imaginative individuals that I have encountered." Tom. D., Osaka Japan

“Walter is an amazing talent and a benefit to any project.” Rick R, Maui USA

"We are very, very excited. Thank you Walter for a fabulous job." April F., Nelson Island

"My house is just amazing. I love it."
Lea P., Welcome Woods BC

"I love it, I love it, I love it."
Joanne H. Thormanby Island

"Our house is more than I ever imagined it could be." David R., Halfmoon Bay

"Walter is a creative genius!"
Paul D., Welcome Woods BC