David Leonard

David Leonard is a building science leader with over 18 years of experience spanning specialty contracting, engineering consulting, architectural practice leadership, and academia. He is the Managing Principal at METAFOR Architecture, an Alberta based architecture, building envelope, and interior design practice focused on resilient, high performance buildings.

David has experience in adaptive reuse and complex renovation projects, where existing buildings often span multiple construction eras, materials, and performance expectations. His work focuses on quickly understanding legacy construction systems, identifying hidden risks, and translating technical findings into clear, actionable decisions for owners and project teams. By bridging historical construction logic with contemporary performance goals, he helps clients manage technical risk while supporting cost certainty and long term asset value.

With deep expertise in building envelope systems including thermal modeling, air and water tightness testing, advanced cladding design, and constructability analysis, David is known for translating complex technical insight into practical strategies that support informed investment and delivery decisions. Equally important, he places a strong emphasis on teaching and mentoring multidisciplinary teams so architects, engineers, and contractors share a common understanding of risks, opportunities, and trade offs as projects evolve.

Guided by integrity, curiosity, and collaboration, David brings a calm, systems based approach to projects where uncertainty is inherent. His work emphasizes clarity, alignment, and long term performance, helping adaptive reuse projects respect the past while delivering resilient, future ready assets.