Webinar | Architecture without frontiers

How can architecture transcend borders while remaining grounded in place? The first Architecture Hunter webinar of March explored this very question, highlighting global convergences in design through the lens of three award-winning studios. With participants from Canada, India, and Brazil, the session celebrated architecture’s ability to bridge diverse cultural, environmental, and social contexts - while remaining deeply rooted in local realities.

Omar Gandhi, Founder of Omar Gandhi Architects, opened the session with two projects that demonstrate how architecture can be both expressive and restrained. Based in Halifax and Toronto, Omar shared the story behind Prime Seafood Palace - a restaurant in downtown Toronto designed to be a hidden gem. Behind an unassuming facade lies a golden interior crafted from Canadian maple and brass, offering a sensory-rich dining experience. Omar also presented OG House, his own home, where a narrow urban site became the setting for a deeply personal exploration of form, light, and material. With sculpted oak interiors and custom-crafted details, the home is as much about architectural precision as it is about emotional resonance.

From the dense urban fabric of Mumbai, Sanjeev Panjabi, Principal at Spasm Design, brought a radically different yet equally compelling approach. His project Savasara - a single-family vertical residence - rises above the chaos of one of India’s most populous cities. Encased in terracotta and surrounded by vegetation, the building reimagines tropical living in a dense context. Terraces, misting systems, and double-skin facades respond to extreme climate conditions, while subtle interventions such as hanging stairs and breezeblock filters create moments of calm and intimacy. For Sanjeev, architecture is about creating longevity and joy in a city that often seems at odds with both.

The conversation closed with a case from Brazil, where architects André Velloso and Mariana Castro from ARQBR shared the Church of the Holy Family in Brasília. The circular nave is both spatially and spiritually centered, designed to foster community and contemplation. Set within a neighborhood of single-family homes, the church connects with Brasília’s iconic horizontality while offering a quiet moment of sacred architecture. With natural light filtered from above and minimal material finishes, the project reaffirms architecture’s power to create meaningful spaces through simplicity.

This session revealed that while architectural language may shift across continents, its core values - context, community, and care - resonate universally. As global challenges continue to reshape our cities, architecture without frontiers is not just a theme - it’s a necessity.

_article written by Daniela Moreira da Silva
_speaker 01: Omar Gandhi - Founder of Omar Gandhi Architects
_speaker 02: Sanjeev Panjabi - Principal partner of Spasm Design
_speaker 03: Mariana Castro & André Velloso Architect & Principal Partner of ARQBR