About Us

What’s in a name? Zimba is derived from the word Dzimba which is from a dialect of the African Shona language. Loosely translated, it means “house” or “shelter”. And at Zimba Design, we are all about what shelters you.

Founded in 1996, Zimba Design is a boutique architectural design firm that specializes in residential projects from the ground up and the outside in. This includes renovations and additions, complete custom homes, consulting on municipal processes and even small commercial tenant improvements.

Our Shipyards office is located in a heritage building flooded with natural light which encourages maximum creativity and inspiration. Our design firm benefits from a mix of practical application, design ideas and concepts and technical know how. We speak the language of construction and know how to apply it – we speak building permit! Our studio is focused on creative vision and client service. Our talents bridge the gaps between creative design, construction management, and the building permit process. This creates a smooth transition for a stress-free project from concept to completion.

Talented at getting the best use out of spaces, we convert client dreams to reality. Our clients have said we make building permits enjoyable, which is why they recommend and refer us time and time again.

Our services include:

Design of new custom homes (from the ground up and the outside in)
Sizable additions and renovations to existing homes
Laneway, coach house and infill housing
Commercial tenant improvements
Feasibility studies
Building permit consulting

Connect with us to talk about your upcoming project.

Contact Us

Our Team

Pam Chilton

Founder / Principal Designer

Position AVailable

Administration

Lizzie

Manager of Sanity

Pam Chilton

Pam is the founder and principal designer for Zimba Design. Prior to starting Zimba Design she was a municipal building inspector for over 13 years. She holds a number of positions with boards and committees within the design community and received the Professional Leadership Award for Women in Technology from the ASTTBC.

Pam is a business owner, a mother, a wife, a free thinker, and love of all things positive and uplifting. She is a community builder with deep ties to Vancouver’s North Shore. When she is not at work, she can be found chilling on her paddle board, or putt putting around the province with her family in their 1981 VW van named Filmore.

Administration Position Available!

We have an immediate opening for a part-time Administrative Assistant. Directly supporting the owner, the position is located in our boutique design office in the Shipyards District of North Vancouver. Working hours would be 2 days per week (20-25 hours per month) with room to grow with the company as it expands. If this sounds interesting to you, let’s chat!

Queen Elizabeth Louise

Named after Royalty, Lizzie spends most of her time at the office laying about on her throne-like bed. She is consistently happy and friendly and loves to greet all visitors that come to Zimba Design. She is always available for consultations on projects and provides general well being and support. She reminds staff to take well needed fresh air breaks at the Pee Park across the street from the office and is in charge of prompting staff when it is lunchtime. Lizzie is crazy for fetch ball, treatos and paddle boarding and lives a spoiled life with her family of 3 hoomins in North Vancouver.