Privacy Policy

Who We Are

We're Silvarion Fort Architecture, based right here in Vancouver. We work on heritage buildings and sustainable design projects across BC. When you contact us about a project or just browse our work, we collect some basic information – and we want to be straight with you about what that means.

Our address: 1247 Granville Street, Suite 402, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1M5

What Information We Collect

We're not in the business of hoarding data. Here's what we actually gather:

• Contact details – Your name, email, phone number when you fill out our contact form or call us
• Project info – Details about your building, location, budget, timeline when you're inquiring about our services
• Technical stuff – Basic browser info, IP address, pages you visit on our site (standard website analytics)
• Communication records – Emails, meeting notes, project correspondence we need to keep things organized

That's pretty much it. We don't track you across the internet or sell your data to third parties. That's not our thing.

How We Use Your Information

Here's the deal – we use your info to actually work with you:

• Getting back to you about project inquiries
• Preparing proposals and contracts
• Managing ongoing projects and keeping you updated
• Sending occasional updates about our work (only if you've said it's cool)
• Meeting legal requirements for architectural documentation
• Improving our website based on how people use it

We're a small firm, so your information stays with our team. We don't have some massive database or outsourced call center.

Who We Share It With

We keep things pretty close to the vest, but there are a few situations where we need to share info:

• Project collaborators – Engineers, contractors, consultants who need to be in the loop on your project
• Legal requirements – Building departments, heritage boards, regulatory bodies when permits and approvals are involved
• Professional services – Our accountant, lawyer, insurance provider (they're bound by their own confidentiality rules)
• Email & cloud services – We use standard business tools like email hosting and cloud storage with proper security

We don't sell or rent your information. Period. That's not how we operate.

Cookies and Website Tracking

Our website uses basic cookies to function properly and understand how visitors use the site. Nothing creepy, just:

• Essential cookies – Help the site work correctly
• Analytics – Tell us which pages people find useful (we use standard tools like Google Analytics)

You can disable cookies in your browser if you want, though some features might not work as smoothly. Most browsers let you control this stuff pretty easily.

How Long We Keep Your Data

We're required to keep project files and correspondence for at least 7 years after project completion – that's a professional requirement for architects in BC. After that, we securely delete or archive information we don't need anymore.

If you just contacted us once and nothing came of it, we'll typically clear that out after a couple of years unless you've asked us to keep you on our occasional updates list.

Your Rights

Under Canadian privacy laws (PIPEDA and BC's PIPA), you've got rights:

• Ask us what information we have about you
• Request corrections if something's wrong
• Ask us to delete your info (unless we're legally required to keep it)
• Opt out of marketing emails anytime
• File a complaint with the Privacy Commissioner if you think we've messed up

Just reach out to us directly – we're accessible and we'll sort it out.

Security Measures

We take reasonable precautions to protect your information. Our systems use encryption, secure passwords, limited access, and regular backups. We're not a tech company, but we work with reputable service providers and follow industry best practices.

That said, no system is 100% bulletproof. We do our best, but can't guarantee absolute security – nobody honestly can.

Third-Party Links

Sometimes we link to other websites – manufacturer sites, sustainability resources, project partners. We're not responsible for their privacy practices. If you click through to another site, you're dealing with them directly.

Changes to This Policy

We might update this policy from time to time – usually when laws change or we adjust how we work. We'll update the date at the top, and if it's a major change, we'll let active clients know directly.