ABOUT

Our Story

Our story is rooted in a love of architecture, design excellence, partnership, collaboration, innovation, entrepreneurship, and community-building.

We have a proud legacy of buildings and places that people cherish and love across Canada, and internationally. Our story begins in the 1950’s with two young architecture firms that would ultimately come together with a shared sense of purpose to make the world a better place.

Where We Started

Waisman Ross was founded in 1953 by Allan Waisman and Jack Ross, both recent University of Manitoba graduates, with Jack achieving his Master’s degree at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Both men were passionate architects and very active in their community. The practice was quickly a success. Allen & Jack quickly hired more architects and, using a collaborative team approach, continued to do award-winning work. At one point, they had offices and commissions in Calgary, Regina and Edmonton.

Blankstein Coop Gillmore Hanna started with a 1956 partnership between University of Manitoba and Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) graduates Morley Blankstein and Isadore Coop. The two were joined by University of Manitoba and MIT graduates Alan Hanna and Doug Gillmor in 1959. The firm gained notoriety when they won a national competition for the Mendel Art Gallery and Conservatory in Saskatoon in 1962 (constructed in 1965) and an award for the Canadian Housing Design Council for a multi-housing development at the corner of Grant and Centennial.

These two award-winning, community-minded architectural practices merged in 1964. The contrasting design philosophies led by Louis Kahn at MIT and Mies van der Rohe at IIT added to the diverse and rich design culture at our amalgamated firm. At its core, our newly formed firm had a client-focused, design-driven philosophy that was people-centred and community-focused.

Our story, and the unique way we work, is in the origin of our name.

At the time few, if any, architectural firms in Canada had a moniker that did not pay homage to a founding practitioner in the firm. The move away from this was intentional.

Our founders realized that we are better working under one banner with a common purpose and collective ethos. The strength of Number TEN became the power of the whole organization and its talented people.

The new name was inspired by the firm’s address at the time, 10 Donald Street, a unique modernist design by Waisman and Ross.

As the decades have passed by, the firm’s ethos has been passed down through careful mentorship, fellowship, succession planning, and a devotion to our shared purpose.

Our shared purpose is to serve our clients and communities by designing places that make life better. We love working with people who go the extra mile, strive for excellence, and push themselves to achieve more than expected. At Number TEN, we are known for having a positive approach, down-to-earth style, and an ability to lead while building lasting relationships.

While we have completed many iconic signature buildings across Western Canada (and beyond), all of our projects are important to us, because every project (big or small) affects the lives of our clients, building users, and communities. Over the past 70 years, we have worked across western Canada, northern U.S., north-western Ontario, and Canada’s far-north. Our work has taken us from large urban centres to small remote hamlets, and everything in between.

Our joy comes from the relationships we form with the clients and communities we serve, learning their needs and future aspirations, and designing places that make lives better.

Today, Number TEN has grown to over 80 people with offices in Winnipeg, MB and Victoria, BC. As a Platinum Member of Canada’s Best Managed Companies, our firm continually strives for excellence in design, project delivery, and client service across Western Canada and beyond.