Flattened 360-degree photo looking up through the glulam frame of a DAO mass timber building under construction
Danielson Architecture Office · Sudbury + Ottawa

Buildings, systems and repeatable development.

New buildings, additions and renovations.
We specialise in mass timber, and we use algorithms to control costs.

Trusted by

  • Bloomington Developments
  • Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC)
  • Pandora
  • Habitat for Humanity
  • Mitacs
  • Dalron
  • Glamour by Krystal Beauty
  • NORCAT
  • Plumbing Warehouse
  • Float Pod Spa
  • FPInnovations
  • SNOLAB
  • Grenier CPA
  • Domtar
  • Vale
“Their ability to translate our vision into practical, innovative, and aesthetically pleasing designs has ensured that all projects not only meet but often exceed our expectations.”
Bloomington Developments

See what a design change costs before you make it.

We model the site, the structure and the main building components, each with an approximate cost.

Change floor heights or move the building, and the model shows how the cost responds, including sudden jumps like an extra row of footings or a bigger mechanical unit.

On one project, early modelling identified more than $1 million in potential construction savings.

Estimated construction cost
$2.48M
10,800 ft² · 3 × 2 bays · 2 storeys at 14 ft
    Illustrative ballpark figures for a simple timber-frame building on a 30 ft grid. Actual models use project-specific quantities and current local rates.
    Line drawing of a Lantern Box: a metal-clad, glazed upper storey on its own timber frame above an existing brick house, with angled legs landing on new foundations beside the walls

    More home.
    Same land.

    Lantern Box, an architectural system developed by DAO: a new home above an existing house, on its own frame.

    New columns and foundations beside the house carry the addition, so the house below stays in use. The new volume can be up to two storeys tall, with room for a wide range of designs, from a large atrium loft to a two-storey apartment. It works for a single home or across a portfolio of properties.

    A small practice with a large practical radius.

    DAO pilots its own aircraft for site visits, supplier meetings and construction reviews across Ontario. Same-day visits are possible across much of the province, which cuts down on travel time and costs for remote projects.

    Flying range from DAO's Sudbury and Ottawa offices Map of Ontario and southern Quebec with rings at 200 and 400 kilometres around Sudbury and around Ottawa. The two offices are 426 kilometres apart in a straight line. Together the rings cover Toronto, Barrie, London, Kingston, North Bay, Timmins, Sault Ste. Marie and Montréal. 426 km · ~1.5 h Sudbury Ottawa Toronto Kingston London North Bay Timmins Sault Ste. Marie Montréal Québec City Barrie 200 km 400 km 200 km 400 km
    • 200 and 400 km from Sudbury
    • 200 and 400 km from Ottawa
    Straight-line distances. Flights depend on weather and airfield access.
    The DAO team standing against a white wall: Jason Presse, Katherine Morawietz, Jeremy Upward and Patrick Danielson

    Left to right: Jason Presse, Katherine Morawietz, Jeremy Upward, Patrick Danielson. Photo by Amanda Thirkill.

    The team.

    We work directly with owners, engineers and builders, from the first sketch through to construction.

    We're a small team of architects and designers. The people who draw a project are the ones who visit the site, review the work and answer the builder's questions, so decisions don't get lost between design and construction.

    Our combined expertise spans licensed practice in Ontario and British Columbia, mass timber design, and cost modelling powered by in-house algorithmic frameworks.