Thomas Balaban Architecte. TBA is an architecture practice specializing in contemporary design. Established by Tom Balaban in 2009, the office is currently involved in residential, commercial, and small-scale institutional projects that focus on making cultural contributions, while also providing meaningful social and physical experiences. Stemming from a comprehensive approach and a clear and elegant concept, the studio’s achievements are both memorable and sensitive to contemporary culture. T B A seeks to challenge the standards that condition the practice, to develop new conventions and create better environments.
The firm’s recent projects, often incorporating the transformation of an existing structure, engage in an open discussion between past, present and future. Among these, the Saint-Jude Spa, a church transformation into a Nordic spa and gym, won a Canadian Architect Award of Excellence in 2012 and a Grand Prix de Design in 2013. The exhibition design for Mapplethorpe: Focus Perfection at the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts and the Holy Cross Residence also garnered Grand Prix du Design awards in 2016 and 2014.
T B A was among the nineteen young Canadian offices represented in the exhibition and book Twenty + Change 03: Emerging Canadian practices. In 2016, the studio was selected as one of 14 emerging talents, by Canadian Architect.
Tom Balaban, OAQ AAPPQ MRAIC received his professional architecture degree from McGill University. He has worked for Frank O. Gehry & Associates/Gehry Partners for several years in Los Angeles as well as for Saucier+Perrotte in Montreal. In 2012 he was appointed professor in practice at the School of Architecture at Université de Montréal. He was previously an adjunct professor at McGill University’s School of Architecture, teaching design studio from 2006 to 2012. Tom Balaban is originally from Bucharest.
The firm’s recent projects, often incorporating the transformation of an existing structure, engage in an open discussion between past, present and future. Among these, the Saint-Jude Spa, a church transformation into a Nordic spa and gym, won a Canadian Architect Award of Excellence in 2012 and a Grand Prix de Design in 2013. The exhibition design for Mapplethorpe: Focus Perfection at the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts and the Holy Cross Residence also garnered Grand Prix du Design awards in 2016 and 2014.
T B A was among the nineteen young Canadian offices represented in the exhibition and book Twenty + Change 03: Emerging Canadian practices. In 2016, the studio was selected as one of 14 emerging talents, by Canadian Architect.
Tom Balaban, OAQ AAPPQ MRAIC received his professional architecture degree from McGill University. He has worked for Frank O. Gehry & Associates/Gehry Partners for several years in Los Angeles as well as for Saucier+Perrotte in Montreal. In 2012 he was appointed professor in practice at the School of Architecture at Université de Montréal. He was previously an adjunct professor at McGill University’s School of Architecture, teaching design studio from 2006 to 2012. Tom Balaban is originally from Bucharest.
