Calgary Pavilion Member Spotlight: Sahil Sharma and Anna Jiang, Founding Partner and Partner of strmwtr inc.
strmwtr inc. is a Calgary-based stormwater engineering firm dedicated to creating drainage solutions that emphasize character, integrity, and craftsmanship. Founding partner and partner, Sahil and Anna, both have backgrounds in civil engineering from the University of Calgary and the University of British Columbia - Okanagan, respectively. Driven by the belief that physical environments profoundly impact well-being, Sahil pursued engineering to design spaces that foster connection and well being. Anna's interest in the intersection of visual arts, mathematics, and the physics behind water and the environment, as well as her desire to create a positive impact, guided her journey to stormwater engineering.
Sahil found his start at a large firm, where he quickly advanced from project to engineering team management, developing strong client and business acumen under great mentors. From there, Sahil joined a startup to grow a team focused on green infrastructure in stormwater engineering. With a desire to do things differently, this was where his idea for strmwtr inc. started to take form. Anna started out in the broader water resources engineering industry working with municipal and industrial clients in the oil & gas and resources space. In search of a place that aligned with her values, Anna explored various firms, eventually ending up at the same startup as Sahil. There, Sahil and Anna connected over a strong sense of the shared values that later became the foundation of strmwtr inc.
Below, Sahil and Anna share more about their journey, strmwtr’s growth, and their time at Pavilion.
What inspired you to create strmwtr?
We both struggled to fit into the boxes that other engineering companies needed us to fit in. We wanted to deliver more, incorporate more character into our designs, and care deeply about the outcomes of the projects. We are very grateful for the opportunities that came about because of our network that allowed us to pursue our dream and build this environment for ourselves and our team to come!
What problems were you trying to solve when you started strmwtr?
Stormwater engineering is in the middle of many city building challenges. A good stormwater design incorporates the engineering utility with environmental stewardship and public amenity. So, we are on a quest to be the Calgary region’s go-to squad of stormwater superstars for the land development community! We are bringing artistry back into engineering to create designs with character and neighbourhoods we would love to live in.
What does your day-to-day work look like right now?
Being a service company, we spend most of our time providing the specialized engineering service our clients trust us with. This means a blend of leading meetings, and focused deep-work blocks. In between these times, we operate the business and foster the kind of team culture that we’ve dreamed of.
What’s a recent project or challenge you’ve worked on that stood out?
We’ve been busy working on the planning and design of many new neighbourhoods in every quadrant of Calgary. One of the more challenging areas we’ve been working a lot in is the Belvedere area in eastern Calgary. This area has a lot of large wetlands, unique infrastructure challenges, and we’ve had the benefit of working on many of the developing areas together to be able to optimize for larger scale solutions.
What do you love about your job?
Everything
What drew you to Pavilion, and how has your experience been so far?
We loved that the space was built with intention. You could see and feel the attention to detail with the decor and layout. We are a firm that values relationships, community, and craftsmanship and we felt that Pavilion is a place that shares these values. We’ve loved being here so far. JB, Kiersten, and Vienna have made the place feel like home for us, and we are grateful to be here.
If you see Sahil and Anna in the office, don’t hesitate to introduce yourself!
