Dutra Architect Inc. is a longstanding and wellrecognized Toronto-based architectural firm specializing in design and development consulting. Since forming almost 40 years ago, they have built and maintained an industry reputation for exceptional service, quality, and attention to detail – and they have delivered a long list of successful projects spanning a wide array of typologies. Today, under the leadership of partners Brent Davies and Michelle Pavone, they continue to take on a variety of project types, and they continue to maintain the client-first ethos that has long made the firm successful. The firm’s origins trace back to 1987, when it was founded by two partners under a different name. That same year, Dino Dutra graduated from the University of Toronto’s school of Architecture and started working at the firm. By 1992, he became a partner. In 2003, Dino became the sole partner and the firm was renamed Dutra Architect. Brent Davies, for his part, went to school at Ryerson – now Toronto Metropolitan University – where he first met Michelle Pavone. After graduating, he joined Dutra Architect and worked alongside Dino for over 20 years. Dino passed away last year, but prior to his passing he approached Brent and asked him to take over and “keep the legacy going.” Brent agreed, but needed to find a partner. “He wanted me to find a partner that shared the same goals and had the same thoughts about things should be run,” Brent recalls. “He didn’t want somebody coming in and revamping everything and dismantling what he had grown from next to nothing to what it is now. So I thought of people OCTOBER 2025
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTYzNTg=