Thomas Carnegie

Thomas Carnegie, M.Arch. operates The Builder's Café Ltd, a high quality, small scale Residential Design+Build company in Canada and is an experienced building designer, house-builder and fine carpenter. He is also a specialist in Resettlement Planning and Shelter Design for populations affected by disaster or displaced wherever they occur, around the world.

From his beginnings as a house carpenter and cabinet-maker, and his apprenticship in Toronto under Scottish shipwrights from Glasgow, Thomas went on to complete an Undergraduate Degree in Architectural Science at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute and a Master’s Degree in Architecture at the University of California, Berkeley (Thesis; Inuit Builders: A Case for Grass Roots Development in Canada’s East Arctic Communities). Thomas continued working with various architects as a residential designer-builder in California and Canada, always focusing on design response to meet user needs, site context factors and a sense of beauty.

When the Indonesian Tsunami occurred in December 2004, Thomas shifted gears and focused on work with response teams in shelter and resettlement for disaster-affected communities. Later, he Headed the Canadian Red Cross Shelter Program response in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake, bringing his comprehensive skills to bear in helping ensure the shelter and survival of more than 37,000 people in devastating circumstances.

The Builder's Café Ltd. is Thomas' occupation in Canada. To all his projects Thomas brings a concern for and response to the quality of clients’ lives and a commitment to respect and improve them. Attention to detail, love of materials, land/urbanscapes and high levels of craftship combine to produce responsive, functional, durable and beautiful buildings.