About Aerecura

High-performance homes and ecological renovations — designed and built in South Eastern Ontario.


Aerecura is a collaborative design-build practice creating high-performance homes and ecological renovations across Prince Edward County, the Bay of Quinte, and Kingston regions.

We are Ontario’s only dedicated rammed earth builders, with two decades of experience in sustainable construction — a distinction that reflects our long-standing interest in material-driven design, durability, and long-term building performance.

Sustainability in building is often reduced to products, technologies, or certifications. While those can all play an important role, our approach begins with a broader question: how do we create homes and spaces that continue to perform well — environmentally, practically, and emotionally — over time?

For us, sustainability means thinking long-term. It means considering durability, energy performance, maintenance, material choices, resilience, indoor air quality, and how a space supports the people living within it day-to-day.

Often, this begins with making thoughtful decisions early in the design and construction process so homes feel better to live in, require fewer resources over time, and last for generations rather than decades.

The work itself varies from project to project, but the thinking behind it remains consistent: thoughtful design, careful construction, natural materials, and a long-term approach to how homes are built and lived in.

The people behind Aerecura bring together backgrounds in sustainable construction, architecture, building science, natural materials, project management, and hands-on craftsmanship — shaping projects through collaboration, experience, and long-term thinking.

Leadership
+ Direction

Sylvia Cook

Sylvia co-founded Aerecura with a vision to build homes in a way hat felt more connected to their environment — homes shaped by durability, sustainability, and a deeper consideration of how people live within them.

That desire became the cornerstone of Aerecura’s long-term focus on performance, natural materials, and thoughtful building practices. It also led Sylvia to building her own rammed earth home — the first of its kind in Ontario.

Today, Sylvia contributes through continuing to advocate for building practices that prioritize environmental responsibility, inclusivity, and thoughtful decision-making.

→ Learn more about Sylvia’s story
→ Watch Sylvia on CBC’s Disrupting Design 

Founder

Pedro Paes

Lead Designer

Pedro leads the integration of design and performance from the earliest stages of Aerecura’s design-build projects, helping shape homes that are responsive to both the people living in them and the realities of long-term performance, durability, and Ontario’s climate.

With a background in architecture, BCIN certification in Ontario, and Passive House design certification, Pedro brings a systems-based approach to each project.

Pedro also has a deep interest in natural materials and ecological design, including rammed earth, permaculture, and climate-responsive building practices.

→ Explore Design-Build at Aerecura
→ Explore Pedro’s work

Project Leadership

Graham Cavalier

Graham leads construction and overall project delivery at Aerecura.

Graham plays a key role in determining project direction and ensuring each project aligns with Aerecura’s approach to performance, quality, and long-term durability.

With extensive experience in sustainable building and rammed earth construction, along with a Master’s degree in Environmental Studies, he brings both practical knowledge and strong judgment to each project. He works closely with clients to navigate early decisions, helping establish clarity around scope, approach, and feasibility before construction begins.

His leadership provides continuity across the entire process, from first conversation through to completion, while fostering a collaborative and respectful jobsite environment.

Co-Founder, General Manager

John Rogers

Business Manager

John supports operations, project systems, and financial coordination across Aerecura.

With over 25 years of experience in the construction industry, he brings a deep understanding of project management, business operations, and resource planning. His work focuses on aligning design decisions with construction planning — ensuring projects move forward with clarity, efficiency, and strong coordination across teams.

He plays a key role in maintaining financial and scheduling clarity throughout a project, helping keep timelines realistic and budgets well understood as projects evolve.

Laura Todd

Laura helps guide projects through construction with a steady, organized, and detail-oriented approach. As Senior Project Manager, she works closely with clients, tradespeople, consultants, and the broader Aerecura team to keep projects coordinated, on track, and moving forward.

With a background in sustainable building studies at George Brown College, Laura brings both technical understanding and practical site experience to her work. Over the past eight years, she has also become a skilled rammed earth builder, developing hands-on experience with the material and the level of care and coordination it requires on site.

Laura is particularly experienced in renovations and deep energy retrofits, where careful planning, sequencing, and communication are essential. Her focus is on doing things properly the first time around — helping ensure projects are carried through with clarity, consistency, and attention to detail from start to finish.

Senior Project Manager

Alastair Ford Syme

Senior Lead Hand

Al has been part of Aerecura from the very beginning.

As Senior Lead Hand, he plays an important role in keeping projects organized and moving smoothly on site. Alongside supporting day-to-day construction coordination, he also oversees tool maintenance, equipment organization, and many of the systems that help projects operate efficiently behind the scenes.

Al is also Aerecura’s most experienced stone mason, bringing a deep understanding of working with natural stone and site-integrated materials — experience that becomes especially valuable on projects involving landscape work, rock detailing, and natural material integration alongside rammed earth construction.

Known for his steady presence, problem-solving ability, and long-term commitment to the work, Al helps carry projects forward with care, practicality, and attention to detail.

Communications + Client Relations

Lindsey Van De Keere

Lindsey leads communication and client experience at Aerecura, shaping how the work is understood both internally and externally.

She is involved in early conversations and plays a key role in establishing clarity around Aerecura’s process, ensuring that information is communicated in a way that feels accessible, consistent, and grounded.

Her work also supports internal coordination and structure, helping align how projects are communicated across the team and experienced by clients.

She contributes to Aerecura’s broader outreach and public-facing work, supporting workshops, content, and communication that help make sustainable building more accessible and better understood.

Director of Communications and Marketing

A collaborative practice

Aerecura is supported by a diverse group of skilled craftspeople who bring experience, creativity, and problem-solving to each project.

We share a commitment to sustainable building that informs how we work — encouraging thoughtful decisions, strong collaboration, and a high level of care in execution.

Our crew is central to the quality of our work, and to the atmosphere on our job sites — where respect, communication, and support are part of the daily process.

Want to join the team? Get in touch.

Sharing what we learn

We believe that building better also means sharing knowledge.

Through workshops, project content, and public-facing work, we aim to make sustainable building more accessible — helping people better understand what’s possible, and what’s worth doing

View our upcoming Workshops

A workplace built on inclusion

Aerecura is a women-founded business and an inclusive employer.

We are committed to creating a workplace where everyone — employees, tradespeople, and clients — feels respected, supported, and able to contribute fully.

This approach shapes not only how we work internally, but how we show up on site and in every project we take on.

Read our founder Sylvia’s story

“The Aerecura Team are passionate about their work. That passion comes through in the beauty and serenity of the homes they build. ”
— Jane Wilson of e.jane wilson architect.
“Aerecura’s honesty and integrity made it an easy decision to work with them — not just for the rammed earth, but as our general contractor as well.”
— Heather Boyd, Mud Hut PEC (2021)