New Book · Published and available to order November 27, 2026
Beyond the Architectural Technologist’s Dream
Part memoir, part map: the real work behind a life in building design
Nearly forty years and close to a thousand clients later, Aryo Falakrou tells the story no school puts on the timetable. It’s about finding your first clients, pricing your work, and standing your ground at City Hall. It’s about clients who wouldn’t decide, and families who went quiet the first time they walked into their new home.
Published and available to order November 27, 2026. Order links will appear here on release day.
What’s inside
A true story first, then a map, so the lessons arrive the way they were learned: one person, one house, one hard day at a time.
Tehran: an accidental dream
A boy who planned to be a chemist, an entrance exam he almost did not take, and a drawing hand trained one straight line at a time.
Vancouver: starting over at thirty-two
A new country, almost no English, a financial downturn, and thirteen firms in seven years. What every office teaches you, if you are paying attention.
A door of my own
Marketing, fees, contracts, competition, and the clients who would not move. The business side no school puts on the timetable.
The files
Real clients, real houses: a room over a garage, a window that changed a family, a shop that had to open on time, and a house that was too big on paper.
What the years taught me
Form, space, light, and furniture; designing for the sun and for every age; AI at the drawing desk; and drawing the life you intend to live.
The Field Guide
Seventeen practical chapters on how the work is really done: education paths, portfolios, drawing sets, zoning and permits, building science, feasibility, and starting a small practice.
Who is this for?
Young people wondering whether this field is for them.
Anyone changing careers at forty or fifty.
Parents of a child who wants to “do architecture.”
Homeowners curious about the other side of the drawing table.
About the author
Aryo Falakrou is a Registered Architectural Technologist, building designer, and licensed home builder in British Columbia, and the founder of My Home Designer. He has spent almost forty years designing homes, workplaces, shops, and restaurants, in Tehran, Metro Vancouver, and beyond.
Also by the author
Beyond Ages: The Home Design Guide to Aging in Place, second edition. Available now in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.