Photo credit: Renée Rodenkirchen
 
How can the work of architecture co-exist with degenerative disease" We recently spoke to Robert Kastelic, founding partner of Akb Architects, a Toronto-based residential architecture studio, who discusses his journey living and working with Parkinson?s Disease. 
Kastelic, who leads the team at Akb Architects, is a registered architect with the Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) and a member of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC).
His wife Kelly Buffey, who co-founded Akb with Kastelic, first noticed that Kastelic’s left arm wasn?t swinging when he walked, and that his facial expression looked downward. After noticing other symptoms, such as feeling more fatigued than usual, he sought medical advice and was diagnosed with early onset Parkinson?s Disease at the age of 47. Since his diagnosis, he has been actively working to raise awareness of the condition. Most recently, he was featured in the awareness campaign for Parkinson Canada that aims to inspire and empower other Canadians living with the disease to “find their swagger,” or, in other words, to live confidently and unapologetically.
Kastelic is proudly open about Parkinson?s within his community, as well as the architecture world. He has not only been able to maintain a successful career, but has become an inspiration to those living with the disease.

Tell us about your career as an architect, how you began and what inspired you to...