Elena Nakamura-Chen
Founder & Principal Architect
Started this whole thing back in 2012 after spending way too many years watching beautiful heritage buildings get torn down for generic glass boxes. Figured someone had to do something about it, y'know?
Grew up between my mom's family home in Kyoto and my dad's old Vancouver warehouse conversion - basically lived and breathed the whole "old meets new" thing before it was even a concept in my head. Architecture school at UBC just formalized what I'd been obsessing over since I was a kid sketching floor plans on napkins.
The name? Jade for my Chinese heritage, Fire 'cause that's what drives us, and Chronos... well, time's kinda our thing when you're bridging centuries with design. Plus it sounds way cooler than "Elena's Architecture Stuff."
These days I split time between restoration projects that make me lose sleep (in a good way) and mentoring younger architects who actually give a damn about keeping our city's character intact while pushing it forward.
The Journey So Far
Honestly didn't think we'd make it past year one, but here we are thirteen years later still figuring things out and loving every minute of it.
The Beginning
Launched with just me, a leased office the size of a closet, and way too much coffee. First project was restoring a 1920s Craftsman in Kitsilano - the owner took a massive chance on some nobody fresh architect. Still grateful for that.
Growing Pains
Hired our first two team members - Marcus from Toronto and Priya who'd been doing sustainable design in Portland. Finally could take on multiple projects without completely losing my mind. Moved to a real office with actual windows.
Heritage Recognition
Got our first heritage conservation award for the Gastown warehouse project. That one nearly killed us - original timber beams were in worse shape than we thought. But man, seeing it finished made all those 3am problem-solving sessions worth it.
Sustainability Focus
Earned our LEED certification and started really pushing the green building angle. Turns out heritage and sustainability fit together perfectly - who knew? (okay, we knew, but now we could prove it with fancy certifications).
Pandemic Pivot
Like everyone else, had to figure out remote work overnight. Actually discovered we could collaborate with heritage consultants across the country way easier. Silver linings and all that. Team grew to twelve people somehow.
Major Projects
Landed the Strathcona community center restoration - our biggest project yet. Also started consulting on urban development policy with the city. Never thought I'd be sitting in council meetings but here we are, fighting the good fight.
Today & Tomorrow
Running a team of eighteen passionate architects and designers who actually get what we're trying to do. Working on projects from residential restorations to major urban developments. Still feels surreal sometimes, but we're just getting started.
