Saunders Architecture won gold in the A’Design Competition 2019 in the category of Hospitality, Recreation, Travel and Tourism Design. The hotel dining room, Fogo Island Shed, won gold once again at the World Architecture News Awards in 2020. “It’s a small dining hall in nature,” Todd said of the building, which facilitates dining by candlelight since it doesn’t have electricity. “We were up against museums,” he shared, adding that this award and the building itself means a lot to him for several reasons. It’s located in Newfoundland, in an area Todd loves, and it’s a place he’s visited numerous times with his family and friends.

Although based in Bergen, Saunders Architecture has worked on a variety of different projects in numerous countries. Todd has taught in Scandinavia and Canada as well as Norway. He is a newly elected member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, an organisation of professional designers and artists from Canada that was founded in 1880. With their twelfth building in Canada recently finished, Saunders Architecture have a number of things to celebrate. However, Todd confessed he doesn’t focus on awards when Localfolk asked him to share any achievements or personal landmarks he’s reached. Instead of reminiscing about competitions, nominations or awards he’s won, he spoke of the multiple rewards he’s received through his years of being an architect. He values the incredible stories he has been told by strangers and the beautiful experiences he has shared with new people. He described architecture as extremely tough but extremely rewarding. “I enjoy what it’s given back. It’s worth it.” He couldn’t signal out a favourite project of his either. “All of these places mean something to me.” The commonality amongst his favourites is that they’re the projects Todd has learnt the most from. “Some are extremely complex. You up your level each time. The ones that give you the most resistance are where you get the most learning.”

Todd’s never had two days alike in architecture, and he seems to thrive off of the constant new encounters. He’s very comfortable making mistakes, but he doesn’t call them mistakes. He refers to these situations as decisions to be made. “You learn by making decisions and you start to make better decisions.” While describing being an architect as a great job that requires a lot of intuition, he pointed out that being in your fifties could mean the end of your career with most other vocations. Yet Todd finds himself “heading to the best years” in his profession.

However, Todd is quick to admit that it’s still not always easy. “Architecture is complicated. An artist can draw all day long. I can, but then it takes years to execute.” Saunders Architecture is known for executing work efficiently. “We get stuff done. We’re really good at helping clients by creating solutions to their complex problems.”

He keeps his focus on experimentation, exploring and being challenged. His architecture has taken him all over the world, and he hopes to build in Costa Rica or Chile someday since he finds himself drawn to South America. “It’s like Newfoundland – rugged and rough.” He spent three weeks with the Inuit a couple of years ago where he participated in a number of their cultural practices while living among them. “I really like the social part of architecture. I learn a lot from the other people, from different cultures and different situations.”

So perhaps it’s no surprise that the question Todd is most concerned with isn’t how, but why. “Architects have thousands of reasons how, but that’s not going to help them.” There are fewer reasons why an architect draws, but that is exactly what he’s interested in. People have asked him what it feels like when he draws, and he has a speedy one-word answer: euphoric. “Then I know why I do it.”

Moving forward, Todd is focusing on projects with a larger social impact. He’s currently working with others on an article about architecture and philanthropy. No longer a victim of whoever calls on the phone, Saunders Architecture is working on a visitors centre in Katahdin National Park in Maine, USA at the moment. Todd is interested in buildings that more people can enjoy and shared spaces that focus on community. He describes this endeavour as “more projects that add to life.”