May 09, 2025
We are happy to announce that the winner of the last month's JMA Architectural Scavenger Hunt is..... Mike Jepson who was the first to identify the April clue: the Waterloo Public Library Eastside Branch at RIM Park in Waterloo, which was designed in joint venture with ward99 architects.
A bit about the WPL Eastside Branch:
This bright and welcoming library received the 2022 Best New Library Building prize from the Ontario Library Association.
The design of this library included numerous environmental features, such as a roof designed to support solar panels in the future; a Trombe solar wall that preheats ventilation air during the winter; and fritted glass that is bird-friendly.
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April 23, 2026
JMA staff are looking forward to participating in Jane's Walk, the annual community-based approach to city building that uses volunteer-led walking tours to encourage people to rediscover the value of walking, and to observe, reflect, share, question and re-imagine the places in which they live, work and play.
A complete list of walks organzied in Cambridge, Guelph, Kitchener and Waterloo, can be found on the Jane's Walk Waterloo Region website.
Blazing the Trail in Natchez Woods
Take a stroll with Scott Clark of John MacDonald Architect on an approximately 3 km loop starting and finishing at the M.R. Good Family Trailway parking lot. Along the way, we’ll explore the local network of trails, as well as loo…
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March 19, 2026
We recently took a Friday afternoon off to explore Huron Natural Area on snowshoes.
With snowshoes borrowed from the Waterloo Public Library, our team managed an approximately 4 km loop around the single and double track trails of HNA, winding through the hardwood forest and alongside lowland wetlands. The experience provided a reminder that thoughtful design grows from listening — to place, to purpose, to possibility.
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January 14, 2026
As 2025 drew to a close, we asked ourselves to reflect on why we do the work we do. Here’s what we had to say:
Mila: "Finally seeing the balcony steel and upper floor steel on site at 180 King. Alas, it is coming along…”
Scott: "It was satisfying seeing the response to the William St residence, from the clients, those who had worked on the project, and even a neighbour who had become intrigued by the project on their regular walks. While I hadn’t contributed much to this project, it was great to see how pleased people have been universally with the end result of a lot of hard work by those in this office."
Margaret: "What is satisfying? I think you are all great individuals, and together you make a team with super powers. I…
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November 18, 2025
John MacDonald Architect is interested in hiring two architecture students to join our team in Kitchener beginning in January. Undergraduate and graduate students seeking 4 month co-op placements are encouraged to apply.
Our forward-thinking studio of twelve or so is presently working on a wide range of exciting projects including adaptive re-use of heritage properties, mixed use and multi-res developments, institutional and emergency services projects, and public spaces, as well as custom residential projects.
We offer exposure to all phases of project development, with mentorship from the firm's principal and senior level staff. Student interns work on a variety of projects throughout the term and so gain valuable exposure to different projec…
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August 26, 2025
Last Sunday, we brought our ABCD of Architecture booth to KidsPark, a one-day festival that sees Victoria Park in Kitchener turned into a land of adventure, with themed activity zones, a wide range of live entertainment and an assortment of food trucks. We were located on the Activity Lane, amongst a number of booths that promoted a variety of educational and recreational opportunities for kids in the region. There, we felt we succeeded in making a place out of our location. We appealed as a destination for children from ages 2 to 12, by offering a variety of age-appropriate tactile activities (different types of building blocks, architectural guessing games, a drawing table), which were fun, simple and educational. We also kept parents / c…
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August 21, 2025
Hello friends & colleagues,
We have reached the end of our 30th anniversary scavenger hunt. From the bottom of our hearts, we want to thank you for sticking with this year-long game. I hope that you have enjoyed it as much as we have.
But the fun doesn’t stop here!
We are taking this opportunity to invite you to our Open House on Thursday, September 11, from 3:30 pm to 6:00 pm. Drop in to say hello and celebrate our birthday with us.
We are also happy to announce that the winner of the last JMA Architectural Scavenger Hunt is..... Nolan Bentley who was the first to identify the August clue: the washroom…
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August 11, 2025
We are happy to announce that the winner of the last month's JMA Architectural Scavenger Hunt is..... Melissa Bowman who was the first to identify the July clue: the Harry Class Outdoor Pool in Kitchener.
A bit about the Harry Class pool renewal:
Completed in 2011, this project brought the pool to the 21st century. The Change House was rejuvenated into a modern, playful and universally accessible facility, including non gendered family change areas, organized along a curved central corridor evoking the flow of water. Many historic features, such as the older mosaic tile floors, the post and beam structure and the skylight, are still there to be enjoyed, happily contributing to the modern feel of the place. The swimming pool…
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July 11, 2025
We are happy to announce that the winner of the last month's JMA Architectural Scavenger Hunt is..... Scott Cafarella who was the first to identify the June clue: the Bandshell at Riverside Park in Guelph.
A bit about the Bandshell renovation in Guelph's Riverside Park:
Completed only last year, this renovation brings to the park mine single occupancy washrooms. Three of them are barrier free, of which two are universal, meaning that they have the space for an adult change table.
Since the pandemic we have noticed a change on how public washrooms are organized, not only to improve inclusivity, but also to reduce cross-contamination between users, reducing the spr…
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June 30, 2025
John MacDonald Architect is interested in hiring a senior architecture student to join our team in Kitchener beginning in September. Undergraduate and graduate students seeking co-op placements are encouraged to apply.
Our forward-thinking studio of twelve or so is presently working on a wide range of exciting projects including adaptive re-use of heritage properties, mixed use and multi-res developments, institutional and emergency services projects, and public spaces, as well as custom residential projects.
We offer exposure to all phases of project development, with mentorship from the firm's principal and senior level staff. Student interns work on a variety of projects throughout the term and so gain valuable exposure to different pro…
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April 28, 2025
We're pleased to announced that John MacDonald Architect and Mark McInnis have received the Lieutenant Governor's Ontario Heritage Award for Excellence in Conservation for the adaptive reuse of the former Dickson Public School in Cambridge. At a ceremony held on Friday, April 25, 2025, at the Grand Staircase of the Legislative Building at Queen's Park in Toronto, John MacDonald, and Mark McInnis, accepted the award for Excellence in Conservation presented to Dickson Public School Adaptive Reuse, for exceptional achievement in conserving Ontario’s heritage. The Honourable Edith Dumont, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, and John Ecker, Chair of the the Ontario Heritage Trust celebrated projects and individuals who made exceptional co…
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Scott
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August 02, 2023
Thanks Nolan. If you can think of anything to add to the list, we'd be interested to hear from you.
Nolan Bentley
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August 01, 2023
I am going measuring tomorrow so this is a timely reflection :-) thx!
