Kobayashi + Zedda Architects Ltd (KZA) is a Whitehorsebased architecture and planning firm and former winner of the Professional Prix de Rome in Architecture. KZA is the largest architecture firm operating in Canada’s North. To maintain a high level of interest in the Work, the firm principals, Jack Kobayashi and Antonio Zedda, have shied away from specialization, working on over two dozen building types since 1993.
Not your typical architecture firm, KZA has adopted a true handson approach by also working as developer, property manager, contractor and retailer. Together with their partner firm, 360 Design Build, KZA is a multi-disciplinary team of a dozen personnel including urban planners, architects, general contractors and carpenters. 360 DB is one of the Yukon’s most active private, residential developers, having constructed over $20 million worth of multi-use commercial/ residential projects in downtown Whitehorse since 2002.
The two firms offer long-range planning and visioning abilities, architectural design solutions and hands-on knowledge of construction processes and market forces. An intimate understanding of each phase of the design process has allowed KZA staff to make informed and cost-effective design solutions for their clients.
Since its inception, the firm has worked on more than 800 design projects in the Yukon, Northwest Territories, Alberta, and British Columbia. These projects vary in scale from private residential renovations to the $60 million Whitehorse Correctional Centre. The firm has a combined experience of over four decades working in the Yukon in every eco-region of the Territory.
The firm has become recognized throughout Canada for its First Nations and sustainable architecture. In 2006, Kobayashi + Zedda were awarded the distinction of ‘Northerners of the Year’ by Up Here Magazine in their annual issue devoted to northern community and business accomplishments.