About Us

  • John Brown
    As a Professor of Architecture in the Faculty of Environmental Design at the University of Calgary, John Brown has been teaching architectural design and theory for the past twenty five years. For much of that time he has also been actively researching the North American homebuilding industry and is a recognized authority on residential practice. John is a registered architect, a licensed real estate broker, and a founding principal of Housebrand where he has been responsible for the design of over 250 new home and remodelling projects.
  • Matthew North
    Matthew North is a graduate architect and a licensed Real Estate agent. As a founding principal of Housebrand he has been responsible for the detailed design and construction management of over 250 new home and remodelling projects. As the person responsible for bringing Housebrand’s design projects to fruition, Matthew has a highly developed practical expertise in translating contemporary design strategies into the realities of North American residential construction techniques.
  • Carina van Olm
    Carina van Olm is the third founding member of Housebrand. As the person responsible for ensuring that the projects stay on budget and on schedule, Carina understands the realities of the North American construction world. She is also in charge of sourcing the products and furniture for the both the projects and the design store. Carina’s role in Slow Home Studio is more behind the scenes at the moment as she oversees production, marketing, and strategic partnerships.
  • housebrand
    John, Matthew, and Carinafounded Housebrand in Calgary, Alberta, Canada as a new kind of residential architecture practice. It is the only firm in North America to combine professional architectural services, construction management, real estate brokerage, interior design, and product retailing into a one stop service. Housebrand’s focus is helping people create modern environmentally responsible place to live in Calgary’s established communities. The goal is to offer well designed reasonably priced alternatives to the cookie cutter world of suburban houses. The 12 step Slow Home design philosophy emerges from the firm’s exploration of residential architecture. Housebrand’s unique model of practice, and the sensitive residential work it creates, has received several international design awards and has been featured in magazines, television programs and journals around the world.Read more about housebrand in the July/August 2009 edition of Residential Architect

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