Allan’s passion for art, design and construction began when he was very young. In high school and university Allan excelled in the sciences and art, while participating extensively in outdoors clubs. This was an unusual combination but an excellent preparation for his future business. At the University of BC he graduated at the top of his class with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. He won scholarships to attend Banff School of Fine Arts in the summertime. He also worked in construction throughout his university years and in 1984 completed a Bachelor of Architecture at UBC where he could combine his unique talents of a practical and scientific mind with his creative disposition. Allan subsequently became a member of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada.
After building their first house together on Bowen Island, Allan and his wife Cathy formed the company A.W. Peters and Associates Ltd. Cathy, who has a Bachelor of Home Economics, is a people person and enjoys the personal contact with clients. This combination of talents has produced a successful niche business where Allan and Cathy design and build extraordinary homes, complementing the individual, specific needs and interests of the client.
Allan has remained on the cutting edge of new home technology, specifically in the areas of energy efficiency and healthy home design and construction. He regularly attends conferences and workshops. As an example of his commitment to continuing education and certification, he was the first in Vancouver’s ‘North Shore’ to become certified under the national R-2000 program for the design and construction of energy efficient, comfortable healthy homes.