Robert Kastelic

Founding Partner / Technical Director at Akb Architects

Speaker

Robert Kastelic is a principal and founder of Akb Architects with partner Kelly Buffey. The Toronto-based residential architecture studio is dedicated to the practice and art of building and the quest to capture the poetic and ineffable qualities of space, prioritizing clarity of vision and a rigorous commitment to conceptual intent. As Technical Director, Robert brings to the studio an exceptional understanding and appreciation for the craft of construction. He has an outstanding aptitude for detail design, combining pragmatism with innovation and elegance. With a rigorous commitment to research and a critical perspective on design, he fosters technical excellence within the studio, leading the team with passion and purpose.

The studio’s work is shaped by Robert and Kelly’s extensive training in architecture and interior design, resulting in buildings of exceptional precision and uncommon refinement. Their comprehensive approach seamlessly integrates interior and exterior spaces, merging building and landscape into a unified, tactile experience that elevates the ephemeral to the tangible.

Akb’s ability to harmonize volume, light, proportion, and materiality has garnered significant international acclaim, with the studio receiving widespread press and numerous awards. Each project responds thoughtfully to its unique site, context, and program, producing buildings that are tranquil, elegantly simple, and warmly engaging. Recognized for its excellence, Akb was recently named by Architizer as one of Canada’s leading architectural firms and among the top 10 in Toronto.

In 2017, Robert was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s. This year, he appeared as himself in a nationwide digital ad campaign that encourages those living with the disease to worry less and live boldly. Rob is now an active spokesperson for Parkinson Canada and continues to be an influential part of Akb’s award-winning practice.