Nick Tsontakis AIA, NCARB, MRAIC
Nick (Nikiforos) Tsontakis was born in Kostadiana, a village 25 miles west of Chania, Crete in 1955. In early 1959, Nick’s family emigrated to Montreal, Canada.
In Montreal, Nick spent the first two years of college in the faculty of engineering at McGill University. He entered the School of Architecture in 1974 and graduated with Distinction in 1978.
After graduation, he was employed by the leading Montreal firm of Dimakopoulos and Partners and was involved in design development of all major projects in the firm. He participated in three competitions, notably the Montreal Convention Center, the International Competition for the Communications Tower of Algiers, as well as the Quebec City Provincial Courthouse. The latter two were competition winners.
Nick had been principal of Nick Tsontakis Architects in Montreal, Quebec since 1981. He is a member of the Order of Architects of Quebec and the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. In late 1995, he emigrated to Arizona due to the instability of the Quebec political scene. In Arizona, he found similarities to his native Crete and a more secure future for his family. He is a registered architect in the states of Arizona and Hawaii and a member of the American Institute of Architects. He has been principal of Tsontakis Architecture in Scottsdale, Arizona since 1996.
Nick has designed and realized over five hundred varied projects in Canada, the United States and Europe. His unique approach to Architecture and Interiors has earned him an esteemed reputation in his field. He has won prestigious local, national and international competitions and his work has been published in numerous periodicals such as GQ, The Canadian Architect, Gala Magazine, Phoenix Home & Garden, Montreal Business Magazine, Les Affaires Quebec, Decor-Mag, Chez-Soi and The Montreal Gazette.
Some of his most notable projects and clients include the Stadt Wittenberge Rathausplatz in Wittenberge, Former East Germany – a competition for the two phase 100,000 square foot Wittenberge City Hall extension and offices in 1991. Granada Canada Ltd. national competition winner for their super store prototype in 1993. The Senior Citizens’ Residence and Community Administration Center, eighty senior citizens apartments, offices and underground parking for Hellenic Community of Montreal in 1984. Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church, a 600 seat church with community facilities for the Greek Orthodox Community of Laval in 1991. The National Bank of Greece (Canada) offices and security systems, Jean Talon St. branch in 1992, Main branch with foreign exchange and trading at head offices in 1994 the Bernard St. branch in 1995, Head Office renovations in 1997 and the Jean Talon St. branch in 1998. He has also designed Milos Restaurant, Montreal’s finest internationally acclaimed and award winning seafood restaurant from 1987-92.
In Arizona, his office is involved in the architecture and interiors of high-end custom designed homes. He has also completed the 30,000 square foot St. Katherine Greek Orthodox Church, Community Center and Charter School in Chandler, Arizona for which he received the SEAOA Award of Merit in 2009.
Nick has served on the board of directors of the Hellenic Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal and the Stewart Hall Preservation Society of Pointe-Claire. In 1997 he was awarded the Deka Award for Excellence in Design by the Hellenic Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal. He also served as president and vice-president of Arizona Pancretan Association 1997 to 2007.
Nick is director and publisher of Arizona Residential Architects (ARA), Michigan Residential Architects (MIRA), North American Residential Architects Network (NARAN), and Interior Design Elements And Spaces (IDEAS). He was also the publisher of Arizona Forum (AzF). He was awarded the Arizona Masonry Guild Excellence in Architecture Award in 2014. In 2015, he served on the Board of Directors of AIA Arizona. ARA was awarded the AIA Arizona Community Education Award in 2016.
In 2017, Nick was named Design Icon for Architecture by Sources for Design Magazine. He is also the recipient of the 2018 Masters of the Southwest Award by Phoenix Home & Garden Magazine.