Roland was born in Rotterdam in 1957 and was educated at Carleton University and the Architectural Association, in England. After brief stints at Diamond Schmitt Associates and Arthur Erickson Architects, Roland joined Quadrangle Architects becoming a principal in 1998. Roland teamed with Richard Witt creating raw design in mid 2007 to realize the full potential of their design vision initially expressed by projects such as Cube Lofts and the Absolute Condominium competition entry.

Roland's design experience has typically included large urban residential and mixed-use projects with complex public approvals processes and significant design challenges. Known for award winning work he counts 4 OAA Awards and numerous urban design awards to his credit. His corporate work extends to the multiple-award-winning flagship BMW Toronto showroom, which received a 2004 Award of Excellence from the Ontario Association of Architects. His ongoing passion for architecture has led to entries in a number of important competition submissions which have garnered awards and honourable mentions.