Step Forward

Born in Tehran, Iran. Pooya Baktash studied Architecture at the University of Azad in Tehran, Iran, where he also worked at renowned architecture firm EBA, recipient of the Aga Khan Award. In 2007, he came to Canada to pursue a Master’s degree at the University of Waterloo School of Architecture. Pooya has a record of achievement on major civic projects including the Revitalization of Union Station and Ontario Place. He co-founded PARTISANS in 2012.

Architect member of the Ordre des Architectes du Québec since 2013, it was the summer of the same year that he founded Quinzhee, an office to his image. Since the creation of the firm, he has been working to continue the reflection discussed during his project essay on urban housing, with more than 35 built projects in the central districts of Quebec City. In his practice, Guillaume is recognized for his dynamism, his collaborative spirit and his solutions that are both creative and pragmatic, qualities that allow him to ensure the smooth running of projects and customer satisfaction. He also transmits his passion for architecture as an occasional teacher at the Cégep de Lévis-Lauzon and is involved in the CUCQ of Québec City, without forgetting his frequent participation as a critic at Université Laval’s School of Architecture, his involvement in the 2016 and 2018 editions of S.P.O.T. and his role in 2020 as honorary president of the architecture student event l’Objet. Thanks to this journey he has won «Le Prix de la Relève» of the Ordre des Architectes du Québec in May 2019 and is part of the 20 emerging Canadian talents of 2021.