About Us - Ravencrest Lithquinth Architecture

Who We Actually Are

So here's the thing - we started Ravencrest Lithquinth back in 2011 because we were honestly tired of seeing Vancouver's architectural character getting stripped away while "green building" was being treated like some kind of afterthought checkbox.

Our founder, Marcus Lithquinth, spent 15 years restoring century-old buildings across Europe before coming back home to BC. He'd seen what happens when cities lose their heritage to cookie-cutter developments, and he wasn't having it. Meanwhile, our co-founder Sarah Ravencrest was pioneering passive house standards in Canadian climates - way before it was the trendy thing to do.

Together, they figured out you don't have to choose between respecting history and building for the future. That's kinda become our whole philosophy, really.

What Drives Us (Besides Way Too Much Coffee)

We're not gonna feed you lines about "revolutionizing spaces" or whatever. Look, we design buildings that work - for the people who use them, for the neighborhoods they're in, and yeah, for the planet too. Sometimes that means ultra-modern glass and steel. Sometimes it means carefully restoring 1920s brick facades. Usually it's somewhere in between, and that's where things get interesting.

The People Behind the Blueprints

Marcus Lithquinth

Co-Founder & Principal Architect

Heritage restoration specialist who can read a building's history like you wouldn't believe. Spent a decade in Prague and Florence before realizing Vancouver needed him more. Still argues that lime mortar beats modern sealants any day.

Sarah Ravencrest

Co-Founder & Sustainability Director

She's basically forgotten more about thermal bridging and envelope performance than most architects ever learn. Got her start designing net-zero homes in the Yukon - if you can make passive house work there, Vancouver's easy mode.

David Chen

Senior Project Architect

The guy who actually makes sure our wild ideas can be built. Former structural engineer who switched to architecture because he wanted to design the problems, not just solve them. His CAD skills are honestly scary good.

Featured Projects That Tell Our Story

Gastown Heritage Block

Restored a 1908 warehouse into mixed-use while keeping every original timber beam. Took us 18 months of arguing with the city but worth it.

Westside Passive House

Net-zero energy home that actually looks good. The owners' heating bill last winter was $43. For the whole season. Yeah, we're proud of that one.

False Creek Tech Campus

Six-story commercial building that uses 60% less energy than code requires. The green roof is now home to about a million bees - the client loves it.

Strathcona Neighborhood Plan

Mixed-density development that kept the neighborhood's character while adding 200 housing units. The local community association actually thanked us - that never happens.

Yaletown Loft Conversion

Turned an awkward industrial space into a light-filled home. All the mechanicals are hidden but accessible - future owners will actually thank us for that.

North Shore Mountain Retreat

Custom home that sits so naturally in the landscape, you almost don't see it until you're right there. Certified Passive House with views that'll make you forget to work.

Chinatown Cultural Center

Adaptive reuse of a 1920s building that was basically falling apart. Now it's a thriving community space with all new systems hidden behind original finishes.

How We Actually Work

We're not gonna lie - good architecture takes time and it's not always smooth. But here's what you can expect:

First, we listen. Like, really listen. We've learned the hard way that clients know their needs better than we ever will. Our job is to translate that into something buildable.

Then we dig into the site, the context, the regulations - all the unglamorous stuff that actually makes or breaks a project. We've walked away from projects that just couldn't be done right, and we'll keep doing that.

The design phase is collaborative. We'll show you options, explain the tradeoffs, and push back when something's a bad idea (you hired us for our expertise, after all). But at the end of the day, you're gonna live or work in this space, not us.

Construction? We're there. Weekly site visits minimum, usually more. Because even the best drawings need interpretation, and we'd rather answer questions now than fix mistakes later.

Awards & Recognition (Since We're Supposed to List These)

2024 Lieutenant Governor's Award

Heritage Conservation - Gastown Project

2023 Passive House Institute

Excellence in Design - Westside Residence

2023 Canadian Green Building Award

Commercial Project of the Year

2022 AIBC Innovation Prize

Sustainable Urban Development

Want to Work With Us?

We take on about 12-15 projects a year - that's all we can do while maintaining the attention each one deserves. If you're thinking about a project and our approach sounds like a fit, let's talk.

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