When Philippe Fournier first joined Martin Simmons Sweers as an architectural intern in late 2019, before returning to university to study for his Master's in Architecture. However, the pandemic had other plans. Philippe says that he realized he could learn so much more on the job, being mentored by the architects at MSS than having a virtual experience at university. After finally completing his Master’s at McGill University in 2023, Philippe returned to Martin Simmons Sweers and is an Intern Architect helping the team produce working drawings, digital models, and design packages, collecting site data for permitting, helping clients through the site plan approval process, and producing renderings. His projects include exciting residential and commercial projects, including the large 414 Westhaven townhomes and apartment tower project in Waterloo. Philippe, who has garnered awards for his research on the housing affordability crisis is particularly interested in learning about the technical side of sustainable design, passive design, and energy modeling and how to apply them to the architecture process to create more efficient, environmentally-friendly buildings.

“Since I was a kid, I’ve loved drawing and then making that image come to life by building it—typically with Lego. Now I’m doing that in real life, which is amazing because you see the difference you’re making in people’s lives by creating buildings that are well designed and places where people want to be.”