Privacy Policy

Last Updated: January 2024

Look, we get it - nobody actually enjoys reading these things. But since we're dealing with your project details, contact info, and sometimes site-specific data for heritage restorations, we figured you'd want to know how we handle it all. We've tried to keep the legalese to a minimum and just tell it straight.

What Info We Collect

When you reach out to us or work with us on a project, we'll typically collect:

  • Contact Details: Your name, email, phone number, company name if you're reaching out on behalf of one. Pretty standard stuff.
  • Project Information: Details about your building, site locations, heritage documentation, photos you share with us, architectural requirements. This is the meat of what we need to actually help you.
  • Communication Records: Emails, calls, meeting notes - basically the trail of our conversations so we don't lose track of what you asked for three weeks ago.
  • Technical Data: If you're browsing our site, we'll pick up IP addresses, browser info, and how you navigate around. Helps us figure out what's working and what isn't.
  • Financial Info: For billing purposes when we're actually working together - invoices, payment details, that sort of thing.

How We Use Your Information

We're not in the business of selling data or bombarding you with spam. Here's what we actually do with your info:

Project Work: Obviously, we need your details to design, plan, and execute your architectural projects. Can't restore a heritage building without knowing where it is.

Communication: Keeping you in the loop about your project status, answering questions, sending proposals, that kind of ongoing dialogue.

Legal Compliance: Sometimes we gotta keep records for regulatory reasons - building codes, heritage protection laws, professional liability stuff.

Occasional Updates: If you've worked with us before, we might send news about relevant services or industry insights. But we're not gonna flood your inbox - we hate that too.

Privacy Documentation

Who Gets to See Your Data

We don't just throw your information around. Here's who might need access:

Our Team

Architects, designers, project managers who are working on your stuff. Everyone signs confidentiality agreements, by the way.

Project Partners

Contractors, engineers, consultants we bring in. Only what they need to know for their part of the work.

Regulatory Bodies

When heritage buildings are involved, sometimes municipal or provincial authorities need documentation. It's part of the deal with protected structures.

Service Providers

Cloud storage, email systems, accounting software - the tech that keeps the studio running. We vet these folks carefully.

Keeping Your Data Safe

We take security seriously because we're dealing with detailed building plans, site info, and sometimes sensitive heritage documentation. Here's what we've got in place:

Encrypted Storage

All digital files are encrypted both in transit and at rest. No plain-text project files sitting around.

Access Controls

Team members only get access to what they need. Not everyone can see everything.

Regular Backups

We backup everything regularly and securely. Lost data is nobody's friend, especially mid-project.

Your Rights & Choices

Your data, your call. Here's what you can do:

Want to see what we have on file? Just ask. We'll provide copies of your personal data and project information. Might take a few days to compile everything, especially for larger projects.

If something's wrong or outdated, let us know and we'll fix it. Accurate info is crucial when we're dealing with architectural work anyway.

You can ask us to delete your data. Fair warning though - if we're legally required to keep certain records (like completed project documentation for liability purposes), we might not be able to wipe everything immediately. We'll explain what we can and can't delete.

Don't want our occasional updates anymore? There's an unsubscribe link in every email we send. Or just shoot us a message and we'll take you off the list. No hard feelings.

Cookies & Website Tracking

Our website uses cookies - yeah, the digital kind, not the delicious kind. They help us understand how people use the site and improve the experience. We use:

  • Essential Cookies: The ones that make the site actually work. Can't really turn these off without breaking things.
  • Analytics Cookies: Help us see which pages get visited, how long folks stay, that sort of thing. We use this to figure out what content is useful.
  • Preference Cookies: Remember your settings so you don't have to reset everything each visit.

Most browsers let you control cookies through their settings. Just heads up that blocking everything might make parts of the site wonky.

How Long We Keep Your Data

We don't hoard information forever, but we do need to keep some stuff for a while:

Active Projects: Throughout the project duration and for 7 years after completion. This is standard practice in architecture for professional liability and warranty purposes.

Heritage Documentation: Might keep this longer since it becomes part of the historical record for the building. Sometimes these archives are genuinely useful for future restoration work.

Inquiry Info: If you reached out but didn't move forward with a project, we'll typically keep your contact details for about 2 years in case you circle back around.

Marketing Lists: Until you unsubscribe or we do a cleanup every couple years of inactive contacts.

Third-Party Links

Sometimes we'll link to other sites - maybe a manufacturer's website for sustainable materials, or a heritage organization's resources. Once you click through to their site, this privacy policy doesn't apply anymore. They've got their own policies, so check those out if you're concerned.

Changes to This Policy

We might update this policy from time to time as privacy laws change or we adjust how we work. When we make significant changes, we'll post the updated version here and update the "Last Updated" date at the top. For major changes, we'll probably send out an email to active clients.

Questions or Concerns?

Look, we know this is a lot of text. If you've got questions about how we handle your data, or if you want to exercise any of those rights we mentioned, just get in touch. We'd rather have a quick conversation than have you worrying about this stuff.

Office

142 King Street West, Suite 800
Toronto, ON M5H 1J8