Masri O Architects

What Masri O Architects does

Masri O Architects (MORe) is a private architecture and building-design practice headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario, with roots tracing to 1971 and a formal rebrand from Somfay Masri Architects Inc. in 2014. The firm is led by Principal Architect & CEO Reema Masri and operates with a 1–10 employee footprint from its office in the Waterloo Innovation Park.

The practice delivers architectural services across residential, institutional, educational, emergency-services, religious, and recreational sectors in Ontario. Its core technical differentiators include Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) construction, where the firm is positioned as a North American Centre of Excellence; sustainable and net-zero design; brownfield redevelopment; heritage conservation; and 6-storey wood-frame construction. Projects range from student residences (e.g., the 539-bed Claudette Millar Hall for the University of Waterloo) and residential developments (Barrel Yards, One Victoria with IN8 Developments) to police, municipal, and emergency-services facilities for the Region of Waterloo and surrounding public-sector clients.

The business model is project-based professional services revenue, generated through design fees on commissions secured from post-secondary institutions, municipalities, residential developers, construction partners (notably Melloul-Blamey), and community organizations. The firm has built a multi-party ecosystem spanning research partners (University of Waterloo, ARQi R&D Inc., Mitacs), engineering consultants (MTE Consultants), industry bodies (RMCAO), and non-profit clients (Habitat for Humanity Waterloo Region). Recognition includes a RAIC 2017 Advocate for Architecture Award, a 2014 LEED Silver certification, and a 2016 Urban Design Excellence Award finalist designation.

Name

Masri O Architects

Legal name

Masri O Inc. Architects

Website

https://masrioarchitects.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Masri O Architects is a Waterloo, Ontario-based private architecture practice led by Reema Masri, delivering building design across residential, institutional, educational, and public-sector clients with specializations in ICF construction, sustainable design, brownfield redevelopment, and heritage conservation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Design Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Architectural Services (541310), Landscape Architectural Services (54132), Interior Design Services (541410), Residential Building Construction (2361)

SIC

Operative Builders (1531)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAHAKAA

Architectural Design Services

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Architecture, Design & Planning Services

SECONDARYBPAHAKAC

Landscape Architecture & Site Design

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Architecture, Design & Planning Services

SECONDARYIMAFABAE

Residential Design-Build & Renovation-Integrated Builders

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Construction & Civil Engineering/Residential Building Construction

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Multi-unit residential design
• Student housing architecture
• Brownfield redevelopment
• Sustainable building design

Headquarters

HQ city

Waterloo

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: Professional architectural services including project leadership and management from conception through post-occupancy, covering design, approvals, construction administration, and field review for various building types.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Masri O Architects (MORe) is a full-service architectural design firm providing building design services across educational, institutional, residential, mixed-use, student housing, emergency services, religious, recreational, and master planning sectors. The firm leads projects from conception and feasibility through design, approvals, construction administration, and post-occupancy, with specialized expertise in Insulated Concrete Forms construction, brownfield redevelopment, heritage conservation, and sustainable/net-zero community design.

Product overview

Masri O Architects (branded as MORe) is a full-service architectural firm offering comprehensive architecture and building design services across multiple sectors. The firm's core offering is architectural design consulting, with specialized expertise in multi-unit residential (including the Sage condominium series), student housing (Claudette Millar Hall, University of Guelph Student Centre), institutional buildings, and urban design projects. MORe provides services spanning from feasibility studies and master planning through to construction administration, with particular expertise in sustainable design, brownfield redevelopment, heritage conservation, and innovative construction methods such as 6-storey wood-frame buildings and Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF). The firm operates from Waterloo, Ontario serving clients throughout the region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Full-Service Architectural Design Comprehensive architectural design services covering concept, design, approvals, construction administration, and post-occupancy support across educational, institutional, residential, mixed-use, student housing, offices, master plans, interiors, feasibility studies, and skinny building projects.
• Multi-Unit Residential Architecture Architectural design of apartments, condominiums, townhouses, and custom homes for developers and private clients, including amenity-rich buildings with rooftop terraces, gyms, theatres, and ground-floor commercial spaces.
• Student Housing Design Design of student residence complexes and condominium-style student housing for universities, including community hubs, food services, study spaces, and student-focused amenities.
• Institutional Architecture Design services for institutional buildings including universities, government facilities, police divisions, and community buildings such as the LEED Silver certified Garry W. Morden Centre.
• Master Planning Comprehensive master planning services for large-scale developments, urban design projects, and feasibility studies.
• Heritage Conservation Design Specialized design services for heritage properties including renovation, restoration of existing facades, and integration of new additions with historic structures in conservation districts.
• Fire Station Design Design services for fire stations including apparatus bays, storage, bunker gear spaces, training areas, offices, and maintenance facilities engineered for 40-50 year community service life.
• Brownfield Redevelopment Services Expertise in developing vacant or underutilized properties where past industrial activities may have left contamination, including environmental remediation coordination, Record of Site Condition (RSC) filing, and concurrent planning approvals management.
• Sustainable and Smart Community Design Design services for smart village and sustainable community developments incorporating net-zero energy systems, rainwater collection, geothermal options, and innovative building materials as part of transformational research with academic partners.
• 6-Storey Wood-Frame Building Design Design of 6-storey wood-frame construction projects incorporating enhanced fire safety and seismic requirements under amended Ontario Building Code provisions for wood-frame construction up to six storeys.
• Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) Construction Design Specialized architectural design for high-rise residential and mixed-use buildings utilizing Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) construction, with Principal Reema Masri recognized as a world expert in ICF evolution for highrise construction.

Quantifiable outcome

• LEED Silver certification achieved for Garry W. Morden Centre
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and minor.

• Diane Freeman (Environmental Engineer)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 February 2018Project Engineer Diane Freeman brings over 23 years of experience in environmental engineering. At MORe, she helps clients retain the right professional engineering expertise for brownfield investments.
• ARQi R&D Inc.strategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 July 2017ARQi R&D Inc., led by Amer Obeidi (adjunct engineering professor at Waterloo), invited MORe and University of Waterloo researchers to participate in a smart village redevelopment project on a former industrial brownfield site near downtown Guelph.
• University of WaterloocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 July 2017Collaboration with University of Waterloo researchers (Professor Paul Parker, four master's students, and environmental professors) on smart village research project. MORe is architect on the development while Waterloo provides research expertise in sustainable energy and urban design.
• Habitat for Humanity Waterloo RegionminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 July 2017Partnership with local Habitat for Humanity chapter in the smart village redevelopment agreement with the City of Guelph and ARQi.
• MitacscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 December 2015Mitacs researcher Tahoora Alimohammadi conducted Master of Architecture thesis research at MORe, co-supervised by Reema Masri and Professor Val Rynnimeri of UW. Research focused on sustainable urban design at Kitchener's Intermodal Transit Hub.
• Melloul-Blamey ConstructioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 June 2015MORe worked with Melloul-Blamey Construction as the builder for the University of Waterloo New Residence project (539-bed facility). Bernie Melloul, Chairman and Founder, attended the ground-breaking ceremony.
• IN8 DevelopmentscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 May 2015MORe serves as architect for IN8 Developments' IVY Towns project, a 68-unit townhouse development at 253 Albert Street in Waterloo. MORe provides architectural design services for this residential development.
• Ready Mixed Concrete Association of Ontario (RMCAO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 August 2013Reema Masri (along with Kurt Ruhland from MTE Consultants) delivered ICF presentations for RMCAO on the evolution of Insulated Concrete Forms in highrise construction. MORe has been involved in this partnership for over 5 years, delivering updated presentations on ICF construction.
• MTE ConsultantscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 August 2013Collaboration with MTE Consultants on ICF presentations and construction projects. Kurt Ruhland from MTE and Reema Masri have delivered joint presentations on Insulated Concrete Forms construction.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Diamond Schmitt Architects: Toronto-based architecture firm with strong institutional, residential and university portfolios (including student housing). Comparable to MORe in serving Ontario universities and large multi-unit residential clients, though at significantly larger scale.
• Moriyama & Teshima Architects: Toronto architecture firm specializing in institutional, civic and educational buildings with strong university client base. Comparable to MORe's institutional and educational portfolio focus, with broader national reach.
• KPMB Architects: Toronto-based architecture firm with institutional, residential and adaptive reuse portfolio. Comparable to MORe on institutional architecture and heritage conservation work, with larger scale and broader geographic reach.
• MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects (MJMA): Ontario architecture firm with deep expertise in multi-unit residential, student housing, and athletic/recreational facilities. Highly comparable to MORe's student residence and apartment portfolio, with stronger recreation specialization.
• Montgomery Sisam Architects: Toronto architecture firm focused on institutional, civic, and adaptive reuse projects. Comparable to MORe on heritage conservation and public-sector architecture, though with larger institutional footprint.

Regional players

• DTAH (Drew Thomas Architecture): Ontario-based architecture firm specializing in urban design, brownfield redevelopment, and adaptive reuse. Comparable to MORe on brownfield expertise and Ontario-focused urban infill work, though at larger scale.

Broad incumbents

• B+H Architects: Global architecture firm with Toronto origins and strong institutional, residential and master planning practice. Comparable to MORe on multi-unit residential and master planning offerings, but at much larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
• Perkins&Will: International architecture firm with Toronto studio serving institutional, university and healthcare clients. Comparable to MORe on university/institutional work but operates at significantly greater scale and global scope.
• Stantec Architecture: Large multidisciplinary design firm with significant architecture practice serving institutional, residential and commercial markets in Ontario. Comparable to MORe's service breadth, but at enterprise scale with broader geographic and sector reach.

Others

• Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health (architect partner): Adjacent reference point - not a competitor but representative of small Ontario architecture practices working on community/institutional buildings with limited staff, similar in scale to MORe.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/more_architects
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Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Masri O Architects