Housebrand is a design-build company offering a one-stop-shop service that includes architectural design, construction management, and interior design.
Founded in 1997 by partners John Brown, Carina van Olm, and Matthew North, Housebrand has completed over 250 new build and renovation projects. Most of these projects are single-family residences located in established communities. Housebrand has also completed multi-family projects, multi-use buildings, and commercial interiors. Most recently, the company has focused on age-in-community residential projects through FABhome. John and Matthew are co-authors of the book, What's Wrong With This House? A Practical Guide to Finding a Well-Designed, Sustainable Home. Matthew is also the founder of Plan Attack.
Housebrand has received numerous design awards for its work and innovative approach to practice, including the Award of Excellence in Innovation from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada and a Rising Star Leadership Award from Residential Architect.
Founder Bios
Carina van Olm
Carina is the President of Housebrand, leads the executive team, and is responsible for strategic growth and financial management.
Carina van Olm is a co-founder and President of Housebrand. She is responsible for the day-to-day operations and strategic growth of the Housebrand group of companies, which include an architecture firm, a construction company, and a furniture retail operation. Over its 23-year history, Carina grew the operations to a total of 21 employees with annual billings of $10,000,000. Prior to Housebrand, Carina was a successful small business entrepreneur; first as part of a fashion wholesale company responsible for distributing several European clothing lines into retail stores across Canada and then as co-owner of Business Appointments, a high-end design store located in Calgary.
John Brown
John is responsible for business development and concept design.
John Brown is a registered architect and Professor at the University of Calgary's School of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape, where he currently serves as Dean. John is a founding partner of Housebrand, responsible for concept design and new client development. He is a recognized international expert in age-in community architectural design, having completed a PhD in this specialization in 2016 from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia. He is a co-author, with Matthew North, of the 2011 book, What's Wrong With This House? A Practical Guide to Finding a Well-Designed, Sustainable Home.
Matthew North
Matthew heads the Housebrand team and is responsible for project realization and fabrication.
Matthew North is a graduate architect from the University of Calgary. He is a founding partner of Housebrand and is responsible for the detailed design and construction management of their 250 completed projects. In 2016, he fundamentally redesigned Housebrand’s construction process by implementing prefabrication and mass customization strategies that reduce the build time of an architecturally designed, custom, single-family house from 18 months down to 6 months.Matthew is also the creative force behind Plan Attack, a digital platform with over 52,000 followers worldwide that educates the public about the value of good residential design.