Behind the business: Rosaline Hill of Rosaline J. Hill Architects

"Rosaline's approach is (...) unique in that she sees buildings not as standalone objects but in the context of and conversation with their greater surroundings".

Rosaline Hill at the Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association awards gala in 2019.

Photo by Justin Van Leeuwen Photography.

While on her second maternity leave, Rosaline Hill got to work setting out on her own and starting her own architectural business. “I couldn’t go back to work because I had a baby, a toddler, and an adult that I was caring for,” she said, explaining that running the business out of her home provided her with the flexibility she needed in her life while also letting her pay the bills.

“I worked with kids around my feet. And I worked a lot in the night, sadly,” she said.

Rosaline said she was well-positioned to hit the ground running, having already been trained and registered as an architect with the right experience to set out on her own.

She trained at the School of Architecture at the University of Waterloo, working in coop placements in Ottawa, Toronto, and in London, England, for an eight-month stint. After graduation, Rosaline went on to work in Toronto for about three years before working for Ottawa-based Barry J. Hobin and Associate Architects.

Her time at Hobin allowed Rosaline to become familiar with infill development projects, an architectural niche service of developing vacant or under-used parts of land in existing urban spaces that are already developed.

“It was a good opportunity because it was smaller projects—small enough that I could do on my own. But infill housing requires quite a lot of expertise, because the approvals are just as complicated as an apartment building,” she said.

Rosaline said she “didn’t have very good reasons” for having chosen her vocation. “I was in high school and I was good at math and art, and people said I should be an architect.” Even so, she counts herself as fortunate for choosing a profession that she happened to enjoy as much as she does today.

“I like 3D modelling, I like problem-solving. I love getting my head into a problem and coming up with a solution,” she said, likening the process to carefully ensuring all the criteria, like so many puzzle pieces, are properly accounted for before setting out to assemble them.

“Putting the puzzle back together and designing things that meet or exceed all those criteria, and then are wonderful and joyful. It’s great fun.”

Unlike other architectural firms that may only offer a certain type of design to clientele, Rosaline said she doesn’t design to any particular style but instead asks clients what they want and works to try and achieve that vision.

Rosaline’s approach is also unique in that she sees buildings not as standalone objects but in the context of and conversation with their greater surroundings.

“I value buildings that contribute to the public space of a street, that frame the street in a beautiful way, that add lovely semi-private spaces onto the streets—work porches and terraces and things—so that when you walk down the street, it’s really enjoyable and delightful to walk past,” she said.

"I value buildings that contribute to the public space of a street, that frame the street in a beautiful way, that add lovely semi-private spaces onto the streets—work porches and terraces and things—so that when you walk down the street, it’s really enjoyable and delightful to walk past"

Asked how she came to that approach, Rosaline said with a laugh, “Well, being a mom and walking around with a stroller for endless hours will do it to you.”

But it also stems from her interest in urban issues, which she has channeled into her work as founder of Walkable Ottawa, an organization that aims to transition Ottawa’s maturing neighbourhoods into walkable communities.

Rosaline has a new venture to add to her existing architectural services: Ottawa Cohousing. Cohousing neighbourhoods are ones that involve residents owning individual homes in a tight-knit neighbourhood layout, with a common house of shared amenities and shared outdoor space.

To learn more about Rosaline Hill’s architectural services you can visit her architecture and cohousing websites!

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