Ricardo Duque

Ricardo joined MJMA in 2013 with an affinity for our core goal of expanding the positive social and environmental impacts of public and campus architecture. To every project, he brings enthusiasm and commitment to excellence, qualities that make him a valued colleague and client favourite. He has contributed to numerous projects, including the University of British Columbia Aquatic Centre, the Atlas Tube Centre, and the Muskoka Lumber Community Centre. Ricardo sees these as representative of architecture that fully reflects the specific values and identity of their communities, a quality he aims to achieve with his teams by means of a carefully considered design process based on close collaboration with local residents and the project stakeholders. Always seeking to advance the possibilities of architecture, he was a member of the team that worked with Centennial College and the University of Toronto Scarborough to produce design studies for a burgeoning new building typology — a vertical farm combined with a training and research facility. Ricardo serves as a frequent guest critic for OCAD University’s Environmental Design program and for the University of Toronto’s Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design. He is also a sculptor and is inspired by the spatially informed works of artists like Richard Serra and Eduardo Chillida.

Originally from Portugal, Ricardo obtained a Bachelor of Architecture at the Universidade do Minho and a Master of Architecture at Porto University in 2007. His education in a Beaux-Arts tradition informs both the rigour of his approach and his sensitivity to cultural context. After graduation he worked at studios in Amsterdam, Porto, and London.