About ARCHI8

Archi8 embraces no limits on the medium through which architecture is approached, criticized, presented, or materialized.

At Archi8, architecture is treated as a branch of art with social and ethical responsibility. Critical spatial practice here means engaging architecture not only as a product, but as a process of questioning.

Archi8 undertakes design projects and theoretical endeavors, and it also designs and facilitates collective experiences as a means of education and growing together. In addition, Archi8 serves as a platform for writings, illustrations, and other personal works by its founding director, Amirhesam Monshi (Sam). The studio has no fixed members; collaborators move in and out, joining projects as they unfold. Under the umbrella of Collective Experiences, three initiatives are in development:

The Blunter The Better – a collective platform for architectural criticism;
Movie Nights – gatherings for shared reflection through cinema;
Unimportant – an emerging project around books and reading.

About Amirhesam Monshi

Amirhesam Monshi, also known as Sam, is an architect and artist based in Toronto, and the founding director of Archi8. His practice extends into poetry, writing, and drawing, which he uses to explore meaning, perception, and the role of art in shaping human experience.

At NORR Architects, Sam has worked on diverse building types and project scales across both public and private sectors. His experience within Canadian and North American practice has deepened his understanding of architectural processes while sharpening the critical lens through which he explores alternative approaches.

His master’s thesis at the University of Waterloo, Teleportation: The Possible Leap, combined speculative research with a graphic novel. Through a speculative narrative, it critically examined the built environment, what remains of the natural environment, and human notions of place, time, and being, along with their sociopolitical implications. This work was nominated for the Canadian Architect Student Award of Excellence.

His earlier academic and design works have also been recognized with the Award of Excellence in the CISC Architecture Student Design Competition for Link (2017–2018), Second Place in the Soprema Building Envelope Technical Design Awards (2018), and an Honorable Mention in the Design that Educates Awards in the Universal Design category (2018).

Originally from Iran, Sam earned his Bachelor of Architecture at the University of Tehran, Faculty of Fine Arts, before moving to Canada in 2017. Looking forward, he is committed to expanding architecture beyond conventional boundaries, pursuing it as both a critical and artistic practice aimed at deeper meaning, relevance, and possibility.