On the evening of October 6^th 2016, Quadrangle Architects hosted a reception honouring the recipients of the inaugural ULI Toronto Legacy Fund, which provides yearly ULI Associate Memberships to emerging leaders below the age of 35. This idea came about as a way to celebrate the late Brian L. Curtner, who founded Quadrangle in 1986 with Les Klein. Since its inception, Quadrangle has grown into a renowned design firm with over 140 staff and a broad portfolio of work throughout Canada and beyond.

Les and Brian discovered early on that it was “way better to hire young people who knew more than they did and then train them to do what it is they already know.” Understanding this symbiotic relationship was very much at the essence of Quadrangle’s growth. A year ago, when faced with the difficult task of finding a way to honour Brian, Les knew that it should be focused around the empowerment of young people. Secondly, the fluid exchange of ideas is what Quadrangle believes to be the catalyst for design excellence and ULI offers a fantastic forum for city-building professionals to do just that. Therefore, the natural solution was to tie Brian’s memory to the ongoing mission at ULI by investing back into young professionals entering the world of responsible land-use. This complimentary one-year ULI membership courtesy of Quadrangle is meant to support incoming professionals with a head start in their career development endeavours.

In a tribute video from Quadrangle’s 30^th anniversary celebration, it was clear that Brian was well regarded by clients and colleagues alike. Jon Love, managing partner at Kingsett Capital, who worked with Brian on 130 Bloor, noted that he was a dreamer who was energized by ideas and approached design without limitations. Will Marenco, design director at Quadrangle who worked with Brian on the massive Yonge & Sheppard development remembers him as the first principal that gave him the opportunity to “stand in front of a client comfortably to share ideas knowing that the second [he’d] deviate, [Brian] will be there to support.” The big picture thinking that Brian brought to the table has even pushed the way Corus has evolved, said John Cassaday, President and CEO of Corus Entertainment.  Les Klein “used to joke that [Brian]’s job was to throw the bomb into the middle of the room and [his] job was to put everything back together.” “He was a larger-than-life character who was world-class at everything he does,” remarked Alan Vihant, SVP of High-Rise at Great Gulf. Yet, Brian personified the notion that one should never believe in their own bullshit and rest on their laurels. When it came to her husband, Christine Raissis felt like she got two different men: he was both an elegant businessman and an outdoorsy adventurer who loved doing everything perfectly. Christine noted that Brian used to say “you only get this day once” so he would pack it to the max.

Personally, I remember telling Brian at the company Christmas Party of 2010 when I was still a junior architect at Quadrangle that I wanted to be just like him. He laughed gregariously, slapped me hard on the back and exclaimed that I was full of shit. I meant it then and still mean it now. Brian loved surrounding himself with young people because he loved their energy. It’s gratifying to see that Brian and the community around him continues to support the career development of young professionals passionate about city-building. As Les concluded in the tribute for his late partner and friend: “at this time, it’s appropriate to rest on your laurels.”

ULI Toronto would like to congratulate the following individuals on being selected to receive a membership to ULI Toronto:

Lucine Edwards, Terracap Management
Nandor Gortva, Infrastructure Ontario
Kara Green, Rebanks Pepper Littlewood Architects
Farrah Khimji, Forgestone Capital
Thabani Malaba, Cubit Design / Build 
Mitchell May, Giaimo
Michael Nangle, Allied Properties REIT
Daniel Nedecki, IBI Group
Katia Osokine, Enerlife Consulting Inc
Michael Poos, R.E. Millward & Associates
Zohaid Quershi, Ashlar Urban
Michael Seasons, Dillon Consulting
Catherine Wilson, Avison Young