About Us - Rune Bastion Frontier Architecture

Our Story (The Real One)

Started back in 2011, we were just three folks fed up with seeing cookie-cutter designs that completely ignored what winter in Canada actually feels like. You know the type - buildings that look great in magazines but fail miserably when the temperature drops below -20.

We've spent the last decade-plus figuring out how to design spaces that work WITH our environment instead of against it. No fancy jargon here - just honest architecture that keeps people warm, cuts energy costs, and doesn't look like a concrete bunker.

These days we're a team of 17, spread between Vancouver and our satellite office in Whitehorse. Yeah, we actually practice what we preach about northern design.

The Team Behind the Blueprints

Erik Nordstrom

Principal Architect & Founder

Spent five years in Nunavut before moving to Vancouver. That experience taught me more about real-world design than any textbook ever did. Now I focus on making sure our residential projects don't waste heat like it's going out of style.

Maya Chen

Lead Sustainable Design

I joined in 2014 after getting tired of greenwashing in big firms. Here, we actually calculate thermal performance instead of just slapping solar panels on everything and calling it sustainable. Also handle most of our commercial projects.

James Whitehorse

Heritage & Urban Planning

Third founding partner. I'm Dene from Yellowknife and bring that perspective to everything we do. Heritage restoration is my jam - figuring out how to honor old buildings while making them work for modern life.

Sophie Bergeron

Senior Project Manager

Joined from Montreal in 2018. I keep the chaos organized and make sure projects actually get finished on time. Also our go-to person for winter-climate specialized stuff - grew up in Saguenay, so I know cold.

David Park

Technical Architect

The detail guy. If there's a building code, I've probably memorized it. Also run our CAD team and make sure what we design can actually be built without bankrupting clients.

How We Got Here

2011

The Beginning

Three architects meet at a conference in Yellowknife, complaining about the same thing - southern firms designing northern buildings. Started RBF in Erik's garage with one commercial project for a community center.

2014

First Big Break

Won a contract for a 40-unit housing project in Whitehorse. Maya joined the team. Had to rent actual office space because the garage wasn't cutting it anymore. Started getting serious about sustainable design metrics.

2017

Recognition & Growth

Got some awards from the Canadian Architecture Association for our work on energy-efficient design. Team grew to 9 people. Started doing more heritage restoration work around Vancouver.

2020

Pandemic Pivot

Like everyone else, figured out how to work remotely. Turns out designing for dispersed locations was something we were already good at. Opened the Whitehorse office officially.

2023

Expanding Horizons

Completed our largest project yet - a mixed-use development in Prince George. Started consulting on urban planning projects. Team hit 15 people. Finally got that espresso machine we'd been talking about.

2025

Where We're At Now

17 team members, two offices, and more projects than we ever imagined. Still focused on the same thing - buildings that make sense for Canada's climate. Just doing it at a bigger scale.

What Drives Us

Look, we're not gonna pretend we're saving the world. But we do think good architecture should work for the people using it AND the environment it's built in.

That means designing for actual Canadian winters. It means thinking about energy costs over 30 years, not just construction budgets. It means listening when Indigenous communities tell us about traditional building knowledge.

We measure everything - thermal performance, embodied carbon, daylighting factors. Not because we're nerds (okay, we are), but because numbers don't lie. If a design isn't performing, we wanna know before construction starts.

And honestly? We just really like solving problems. How do you keep a building comfortable at -40 without burning through energy? How do you restore a 1920s heritage building to modern standards? Those puzzles keep us coming back.

Want to Work Together?

We're always up for interesting projects, especially if they involve tricky climate conditions

Get In Touch