In 2008, Ben became a partner in Klio Design and Development to help facilitate the contemporary modular designs envisioned by President and CEO Shannon Price. Since then, he has created several designs with modular construction technology in mind, while exploring the boundaries of contemporary architectural form and function.
Ben earned his Master of Architecture at Dalhousie University in Halifax and completed his apprenticeship with the Oslo-based firm Narud Stokke Wiig, before beginning his professional practice in New York with word renowned architectural firms Rafael Vinoly and later Gluckman Mayner. Ben has contributed to prominent projects including The Bronx County Hall of Justice, The Austin Museum of Art, The Museum of Contemporary Art in San Diego, a private gallery/studio for the artist Richard Serra, and several high-end residential projects. In 2002, Ben founded Ben Checkwitch Design (BCD), a Manhattan-based firm that designs a broad spectrum of residential, commercial, retail and furniture projects. Now residing on Saltspring Island he has prototyped furniture and conceptual modular designs, including a mobile bedroom called the POD that went on to earn distinction in I.D. Magazine’s Annual Design Review. Ben’s work has also been recognized by the Architectural League of New York, where he has lectured and exhibited as a winner of the Young Architects Forum.
"We all live downstream"
- David Suzuki