About Us - RuneFlame Verse Architecture

How We Got Here

It wasn't some grand master plan, honestly.

Back in 2018, I was sketching building designs on napkins at a café in Gastown, thinking about how my grandmother's old cabin in the Swedish countryside somehow felt more alive than half the glass towers going up around Vancouver. There was something about those old Nordic structures – the way they sat in the landscape like they'd grown there naturally, you know?

So I started asking myself: why can't we build like that anymore? Why does "modern" have to mean cold and disconnected? Turns out, it doesn't. We've spent the past seven years proving that sustainable design doesn't need to sacrifice warmth, and Nordic principles aren't just for Scandinavian forests – they work pretty damn well in BC too.

Today, we're a team of twelve folks who actually care about what we're putting into the world. We design buildings that'll be here for generations, not just tax write-offs that'll get torn down in 30 years.

What Drives Us

Look, we're not trying to win awards here (though we've snagged a few). We're trying to make buildings that people actually want to live and work in – places that don't fight against nature or pretend the climate crisis isn't happening.

Respect for Materials

We use what makes sense – locally sourced timber, natural stone, materials that'll age gracefully instead of falling apart. There's this old Nordic saying my grandfather used to throw around: "the axe forgets, but the tree remembers." Every material choice leaves a mark, so we choose carefully.

Light & Shadow

Vancouver's got this moody grey weather most of the year, and instead of fighting it, we work with it. Big windows positioned just right, natural light bouncing off wood surfaces, spaces that feel cozy when it's pouring outside. It's about embracing where we are, not pretending we're somewhere else.

Long-Term Thinking

We're not building for Instagram likes. Every project gets designed with the next 100 years in mind – how it'll adapt, how it'll be maintained, whether your grandkids will curse your name or thank you for it. That's the Nordic approach: build once, build right.

Connection to Place

Every site tells us something different. We spend time just sitting there, watching how the light moves, where the wind comes from, what the neighbors are doing. Sounds hippie-ish, but it works. Buildings should feel like they belong, not like they just parachuted in from a design magazine.

Principal Architect & Founder

Ingrid Thorsen

The one who started this whole thing

I grew up between two worlds – summers in Sweden with my grandparents, school years in Vancouver. That split perspective shaped everything, really. I watched my grandfather build an extension onto his workshop using techniques passed down for generations, and then I'd come back to Vancouver and see another heritage building getting demolished for condos.

After getting my architecture degree from UBC and spending five years at a corporate firm designing stuff I wasn't proud of, I took a year off and went back to Scandinavia. Studied under a few traditional builders, froze my butt off in a cabin with no heating (very educational), and came back with a clear vision: bring that sensibility here, but adapt it for our climate and our needs.

These days, I split my time between the drafting table and job sites. Can't design well if you don't understand how things actually get built, you know? I'm also weirdly obsessed with heritage restoration – there's something about bringing old buildings back to life that newer projects just can't match.

When I'm not working (which, let's be honest, isn't often enough), you'll find me hiking the North Shore trails or tinkering with woodworking projects in my garage. My partner jokes that I can't go anywhere without analyzing the architecture, and yeah, guilty as charged.

Credentials: M.Arch (UBC), MAIBC, LEED AP, Certified Passive House Designer

Published in: Canadian Architect, Azure Magazine, Dwell

The Team Behind the Drawings

We're a tight crew – four architects, three designers, two project managers, a sustainability consultant, an interior specialist, and one very patient admin who keeps us all organized. Most of us have been here since the early days, which says something, I think.

We don't do the whole corporate hierarchy thing. Everyone gets their hands dirty on projects, from initial concepts to final walkthroughs. The intern who joined last month might have the best idea in a design meeting – we listen to everyone.

Every Friday afternoon, we shut down the computers and do "material studies" – basically, we play with building samples, visit suppliers, or check out new construction techniques. Keeps us sharp and reminds us why we got into this field in the first place.

Want to Work Together?

We take on about 15-20 projects a year – residential, commercial, restoration work. If you're looking for cookie-cutter designs or the cheapest bid, we're probably not your people. But if you want something that'll last and actually means something, let's talk.

Get In Touch