September 4, 2025
This year marks a 30-year milestone for A49’s Ana Coppinger, of the Science and Technology team. Over those 30 years, Ana has become a pillar of A49’s Science and Technology work, most notably in fluency in the science and how it relates back to the design needs.
Over the years, she contributed to a diverse array of projects each expanding her expertise and deepening her understanding of client needs. Her transition into science and technology facility design was a natural evolution, influenced by a family background in medicine and a growing fascination with healthcare architecture. Ana’s success stems from her commitment to understanding the science behind the architecture. She invests time in reading, researching, and asking questions to ensure meaningful conversations with clients. Her technical fluency has even led clients to assume she holds a science degree.
“Where Ana really shines is in her ability to speak science to scientists. They react to her in a remarkable way just because she’s so knowledgeable and often she gets asked if she’s a scientist herself because she knows what they’re doing and why they are doing it. She’s extremely personable, warm and kind. People react to that, and trust her and want her on their projects,” says colleague Kevin Humeniuk.
Ana attributes her success to the drive to understand the science behind the physical program. Central to her approach is an unwavering curiosity, always ready to ask ‘why’ in pursuit of genuine understanding.
“I think the ability to listen, be present and not know it all is so important. I sometimes will tell a client I’m going to be like a toddler. What’s that? Why? Why? Why? Because I’ll need to understand all of it,” Ana explains. She goes on to reiterate what she tells her mentees, which is to listen beyond hearing what the client is saying they need. By understanding the process, Ana can peel it back and separate the client from their current environment to talk process and then determine the best solutions from the ground up.
Ana’s innate curiosity has been a driving force in her career, consistently recognized and appreciated by her colleagues. “One of the great things about Ana is the way she relates to people and makes these quick relationships. She’s a great listener very compassionate and just is so genuine. The kind of passion, personality and technical knowledge that she has gained over the years has made a powerful synthesis,” says Grant Van Iderstine.
With these 30 years of experience, Ana is a well-respected mentor to many developing professionals. “She is very generous in sharing her knowledge and trying to help other people be the best at their work. She is a real guiding light for a lot of people across the country in A49” said Grant.
Ana’s passion for teaching is evident in the way she expresses her excitement for those she is mentoring. “Its nice to be able to impart as much as I can. To the younger people, I get excited watching them get excited.”
Kevin pinpoints that which makes Ana special, and said, “Ana is one of maybe five people in North America that can do what she does. She’s a remarkable colleague and a fantastic collaborator. Ana has a personal philosophy of how to treat people, and she doesn’t waver. We’re all blessed to work with her and to experience her. I think anybody that she has collaborated with is blown away by working with her. So, it’s a special honour and treat to work alongside her.”
With 30 years under her belt, we are all celebrating Ana’s milestone and share in her excitement for what the future holds.