We are two designers with an architectural focus.

In 2021, during a remote urban studio class, we were introduced to each other’s imagination and process. Since then, we have been developing a collaborative practice across the lands using mixed media forms.

The title of that studio when we met was The City and The City, named after the book by China Miéville; it carries us forward to this day. It expresses the overlaps that exist and occur between our two distinct perspectives.

Riya Garg works within art, architecture and community building. She has contributed to integrated design-build teams where she developed an understanding of technology, materials and code. She resides and operates between the Kootenays and Calgary, where she prioritizes adaptive reuse projects for stewardship and sustainability sake. She thrives in design process through the coordination of ideas, budgets and project teams. (Nelson, BC)

Rory Peckham’s work centres on the repurposing of existing structures. He has received first place prize in The HODI Award in Built Heritage Conservation for Eyes Which See (Connect), a proposal exploring the reuse of a church. He was also awarded a fellowship from Columbia University GSAPP to study abandoned motels along Route 66. Professionally, he has worked with architecture firms in Toronto and New York City, contributing to detailed design development, including façade systems and construction-ready models. (Toronto, ON)

Rory  

Columbia University
Master of Architecture, 2025
Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation

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