Ben Checkwitch

Architectural Institute of British Columbia
Registrant (Architect AIBC)
Passive House Canada
Certified Passive House Designer
Master of Architecture
Dalhousie University, 1999
Bachelor of Environmental Design Studies
Dalhousie University, 1997
Bachelor of Environmental Studies
University of Manitoba, 1993

Ben Checkwitch developed a fascination with architecture while working on construction sites, which eventually lead him to pursue a degree from the School of Architecture at the University of Manitoba. After moving to British Columbia, he entered the field of Naval Architecture working as a draftsman designing yachts. It was in there that he further honed his construction skills while building a home on a small and relatively remote Gulf Island.

After earning his Masters of Architecture from Dalhousie University, and apprenticing in Oslo, Norway with the architectural firm Narud Stokke Wiig, Ben began his professional practice in New York with renowned architectural firms Rafael Viñoly Architects and later Gluckman Mayner Architects. It was in New York that he developed his expertise in the detailing of glass curtainwall and building envelope systems and the design of museum and gallery spaces. Ben has contributed to prominent projects including The Bronx County Hall of Justice, The Austin Museum of Art, The Museum of Contemporary Art in San Diego, a private gallery/studio for the artist Richard Serra, and several high-end residential projects. In 2002, he founded Ben Checkwitch Design (BCD), a Manhattan-based firm that designed a broad spectrum of residential, commercial, retail and furniture projects that earned him distinction in I.D. Magazine’s Annual Design Review in 2003. His work has also been recognized by the Architectural League of New York, where he has lectured and exhibited as a winner of the Young Architects Forum.

In 2008 he began collaborating with David Poiron on various projects, most notably the award-winning Nanaimo cruise ship terminal building, which led to the formation of Checkwitch Poiron Architects in 2012.  Since then Ben has lead the firm through several projects including single family homes, master plans and terminal building designs for multiple BC Ferry terminals, an Indigenous artist’s studio, multi-family and mixed use projects of various scales, the development and implementation of a volumetric modular building system, and a low-carbon Montessori school.