Daniels Faculty alumnus Drew Adams (MArch 2011) has co-authored an essay for Azure magazine in which he argues that architects have a responsibility to be more environmentally responsible in their choices of building materials.

The essay, which Adams wrote with Janna Levitt — a 1986 U of T architecture graduate and founder of LGA Architectural Partners, where Adams is an associate — discusses the ways in which adaptive reuse can reduce the carbon footprint of a construction project. The piece takes particular notice of LGA's own design for the reuse of the kiln building at Toronto's Evergreen Brick Works, a former brick manufacturing facility that the firm helped transform into an event and education space.

Adams and Levitt write:

For too long the profession has rationalized using carbon-intensive materials so long as we built to last — and built better... The change needs to happen now. In contrast to the long-term impacts of energy efficiency, embodied carbon is an upfront consideration. While it is possible, for example, to add renewable energy at a later date to offset a building’s operational impacts, the carbon costs of building materials cannot be reversed.

Read the full story at Azure.

The Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design is pleased to announce this year's Frank Gehry International Visiting Chairs in Architectural Design: Tina Gregorič and Aljoša Dekleva, of Slovenia-based Dekleva Gregorič Architects.

As joint chairs, Gregorič and Dekleva will lead a program of study on collective housing with the Daniels Faculty's third-year Master of Architecture students. They will also deliver a public lecture on October 10.

"Tina and Aljoša have an agile practice that can operate at both small and large scales," says Shane Williamson, director of the Daniels Faculty's Master of Architecture program. "The fact they have such a keen interest in affordable housing makes them a great fit for our faculty, given the shortage of living space in Toronto and their ongoing research into the socio-cultural impact of flexible systems upon residential planning."

Gregorič and Dekleva first received international attention for XXS House, a 460-square-foot dwelling located in central Ljubljana. Working within the home's small volume, they created a light-filled pied-à-terre lined with sleek, fibre cement panels. The design won a European Architecture Award in 2004.

Their award-winning design for a metal recycling plant in the Slovenian town of Pivka included an all-metal office building designed to be recyclable on-site at the end of its service life. Earlier this year, Gregorič and Dekleva won first prize in an international competition to design a Science Centre for Ljubljana. Their solution envisions a series of circular pavilions linked by a walkable green roof. They have also designed several collective housing projects.

Gregorič and Dekleva's Clifftop House on Maui (2011) explores the concept of several houses under a common roof that doubles as a deck.

Dekleva earned his Master of Architecture from London's Architectural Association in 2002 with distinction. He has been director of the Architectural Association Nanotourism Visiting School since 2014. He has also been a guest professor at École d’architecture de l’Université de Montréal and a visiting professor at the L'Ecole Nationale d'Architecture Paris Val de Seine.

Gregorič earned her Master of Architecture from London's Architectural Association in 2002 with distinction. She has been a full professor and head of the Department of Architectural Typology and Design at the Institute of Architecture and Design at the Vienna University of Technology since 2014.

About the Frank Gehry International Visiting Chair in Architectural Design:

Named in honour of Frank O. Gehry, this endowed chair brings a highly recognized international architect to teach a graduate studio and deliver a public lecture at the Daniels Faculty each year. Students in their third year of the Master of Architecture program study with the chair holder before they start their design thesis. Heather Reisman, founder of Indigo Books and Music, and 45 others raised $1 million, matched by U of T, to establish the chair in November 2000. It's named for the Toronto-born designer of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain; the Experience Music Project in Seattle; and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.

Last year, Daniels undergraduate students explored architecture's role in gentrification as part of a course taught by Sessional Lecturer Reza Nik. Focusing on Toronto's Parkdale neighbourhood, Nik challenged the students to investigate social and political issues through an architectural lens.

This summer, work produced as part of that class by Jo-Lynn Yen, Hannah Hui, Saige Michel, and Esteban Poveda Torres is on display at The Public (58 Landsdowne Avenue), a store-front gallery that addresses issues of social justice and anti-oppression.

The exhibition, Footprints of Change, highlights gentrification's detrimental effect on the local community, with a focus at specific sites undergoing change. The students were also inspired to support communities in the area working to resist gentrification.

Footprints of change runs until September 10. Visit The Public's website for more details.

Photos by Reza Nik

City Moments, taking place August 15 from 7:00pm to 2:00am, "is a late-summer art party that celebrates film, video, and projection work by internationally acclaimed visual artists living and working in Toronto."

Curated by Canadian filmmaker and interdisciplinary artist Peter Lynch, featured artists include Eldon Garnet, Iris Haussler, Luis Jacob, Mark Lewis, Kelly Mark, Jon Sasaki, Alex McLeod, Peter Lynch, and Giles Monette.

Short films by Daniels Faculty students will also be included in the mix.

The films were produced over the years as part of a Master of Architecture course taught by Associate Professor John Shnier. Both Shnier and Lynch selected the short student films to be screened at the event. Over the course of the evening a variety of multimedia projects will be showcased. Each explore the "fleeting experiences, theoretical architecture, immigrant histories, animal sentience, dystopian imaginaries, fictitious biographies, and everything in between — the facets and fantasies that comprise urban life."

Click here to register for a free ticket.

Featured films include:
Litter, by Ali Fard (also featured above)
Re-oriented,  by Peter Kitchen
Move / Still,  by Andres Bautista and  Matteo Maneiro
Other Side, by Edgar Leon and Nathan Bishop
City as Data Space, by Kinan Hewitt
Round Tower, by Mario Arone
Colouring Book, by Zheng Li
Half Life, by Ian Cheung
As Above So Below, by Tara Castator
Built in a Day, by David Verbeek
How About Just Fall, by Zack Glennon and Sonia Ramundi
Beach Body, by Silvia Gonzalez and Donna Bridgeman
Approaching Limbo, by Wai Ming Lo
Immaterial, by Liheng Li

City Moments
Thursday August 15
7:00pm - 2:00am
Sidewalk Labs, 307  Lakeshore Blvd. East

This summer, undergraduate students at the Daniels Faculty explored the role that architecture could play in fostering community outreach and engagement in Toronto’s Parkdale neighbourhood.

As part of a design/build studio (ARC399) led by Sessional Instructor Reza Nik, the students worked with members of the Parkdale Neighbourhood Land Trust (PNLT), to look at ways that engagement in social justice movements could be more spatially dynamic.

Over the course of two weeks, they designed and built a mobile structure that could be rolled out and set up in the public spaces people often pass through. The goal: to help local organizations, such as PNLT, spark discussion, participation, learning, and action in their own neighbourhood. Inspired in part by tourist information kiosks, The Mobilizer made its debut outside the Toronto Public Library’s Parkdale branch, July 4.

"In a city like Toronto, the general public often engages with social justice movements in the form of demonstrations, pickets, and, occasionally, targeted pamphleting campaigns — efforts that are typically limited in frequency and geographical scope, or are aesthetically unapproachable," says Nik. "As architects and designers, we could have a major part to play in addressing this problem. We are uniquely poised to design new spatial nodes that connect social movements with new and diverse elements of the public."

Led by Parkdale residents and community groups concerned about the gentrification that threatens the neighbourhood’s unique social, cultural, and economic diversity, PNLT formed to build a community land trust, which would allow it to acquire land. Once owned by the community, the purchased land could then be dedicated to affordable housing, social enterprises, non-profit organizations, urban agriculture, or open space. The organization bought its first piece of land in 2017. In 2019, it purchased an existing rooming house and will help ensure its units remain affordable for another 99 years.

Andrew Winchur, who currently chairs PNLT’s Communications Engagement Committee and manages the Parkdale Free School, joined Nik’s summer class as a guest instructor. He spoke to the students about the strengths and weaknesses of typical engagement tactics and the idea of using tourist kiosks as a framework for social movements. The students visited the Parkdale neighbourhood to meet with members of the community and learn more about PNLT.

The objective of the course was to develop a type of “pop-up architecture” that would “take up space” and facilitate a high level of social engagement. “The community wanted something that was mobile, so it could be set up anywhere, anytime, and something that provided a spectacle when pushing it down the sidewalk,” says Nik.

The resulting "Mobilizer" is flexible and easy to move, with fold out seating, a built-in chalkboard, shelves and slots for books and pamphlets, and a small battery-powered generator for microphones and laptops. The structure was designed to not only engage passersby, but also support pop up events and an outdoor classroom for the Parkdale Free School. A corkboard map of the neighbourhood provides wayfinding, and poles can be set up to support shading. The Mobilizer also includes six benches that can easily be assembled to seat 3 people each. The pattern of holes on one of the fold-out walls reflects the community’s solidarity flag.

In addition to providing students with the opportunity to turn their own drawings and concepts into a real physical piece of architecture, Nik hopes that the two-week intensive design/build studio will also inspire them to rethink their understanding of the role that architecture can play in social movements. “Lack of attention to the spaces of engagement creates an opportunity for architectural intervention,” says Winchur.

Visit PNLT’s website to learn more about the organization and how to get involved.

The Daniels Faculty would like to congratulate Donald Schmitt (BArch 1977) on being appointed to the Order of Canada. The principal of Diamond Schmitt Architects and esteemed Daniels Alumnus was recognized by Governor General (and fellow U fo T Alumna) Julie Payette "for his rehabilitation of iconic heritage buildings and for his sustainable architectural designs."

One of the country's highest honours, the Order of Canada "recognizes outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation." The award's motto Desiderantes Meliorem Patriam translates to "They desire a better country."

Writes Diamond Schmitt on its website:

Don's portfolio includes many iconic buildings across Canada. Among recent projects are the high-rise laboratories of The Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning at Sickids in Toronto; the new campus of Emily Carr University of Art + Design in Vancouver; and the highly collaborative academic environment of Lazaridis Hall at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario.

He is also known for the re-imagination of landmark historical buildings, notably the National Arts Centre and The Senate of Canada Building in Ottawa, where he is currently leading the design for the Ottawa Public Library and Library and Archives Canada joint facility. A giving, civic-minded architect, Don lends his expertise to numerous cultural initiatives and design review panels.
 

For more information, visit Diamond Schmitt's website, Canadian Architect, or U of T News.

Photos, top: 1) Donald Schmitt, by Jim Ryce; 2) Emily Carr University, by Tom Arban Photography; 3) Senate of Canada Building, by Tom Arban Photography

Cities contain a lot of stuff. If only there were an easier way to share it all — and cut down on the number of infrequently used items that fill our closets and storage spaces until they are ultimately sent to the landfill.

Inspired by an ambition to cut down on wasteful consumption, Daniels alumnus Alejandro López has dreamed up Stuff Cloud: A Smart Infrastructure for Buying, Selling, Sharing, Swapping & Remaking Things in Cities. Based on his 2011 Master of Architecture thesis, Stuff Cloud mixes "techniques taken from architecture, interaction design, and physical computing."

The proposal received an honourable mention in the Ontario Association of Architecture's inagural Shift 2019 Ideas competition.

“Conceptually, the project addresses the challenges of the sharing economy and the cultural shift away from rooms and houses filled with things," said the OAA jury. "It questions the nature of how storage could work, and how scarce resources might be managed.”

From Lopez's proposal:

The building blocks of the Stuff Cloud are the interactions between humans and their things. With a unique ID for each thing, and harnessing web-based technology, it becomes possible to simply add one’s things to the Stuff Cloud. Once your things are ‘in the cloud,’ Stuff Cloud can suggest various scenarios for use or exchange—­for instance, sharing things with nearby friends or swapping things with strangers across the city. The Stuff Cloud can learn from our interactions with our things and give us insights on how to devote less mental and physical space to things we may not always want or need. This introduces new scenarios for ownership and exchange, potentially altering the way in which we exchange and dispose of things in public spaces.

As alternative modes of owning and exchanging things gain popularity, a physical infrastructure supporting these exchanges begins to take shape. This could come in the form of smart lockers, pods and large-scale pop-up shops. The cumulative result is a patchwork infrastructure that is built from the bottom-up in response to its social context and more importantly, as a result of ‘real’ versus ‘manufactured’ demand for things.
 

For more information, visit the Shift 2019 website.

An exhibition on the past, present, and future of the Sidi Harazem Thermal Bath Complex, a modern Moroccan masterpiece, opens this June in Morocco. Built in 1960 by Jean-François Zevaco, the complex is now undergoing restoration thanks to Associate Professor Aziza Chaouni, who received a Keeping it Modern grant from The Getty Foundation to revive the historic site.

The exhibition will showcase the conservation plan and collaborative method that will transform the brutalist complex and reveal the architectural, human, and natural richness of the site. It will also display the work of young Moroccan artists involved in the project.

Running until October, the exhibition has been made possible thanks to the Getty Foundation in the United States and the Fondation Caisse de Dépôt et de Gestion (CDG) Foundation in Morocco. The Getty Foundation’s Keeping It Modern grant was established to support important works of modern architecture around the world.

This past February, Chaouni, together with architect and Professor at Escola da Cidade in São Paul Silvio Oksman, led a workshop at the Sidi Harazem complex.

Seven Daniels Faculty students — Treasure Zhang, Yi Zhang, Saaraa Premji, Ted Francis Marchand, David Alba, Muyao Zhang, and Avery Clarke — have worked with Chaouni as research assistants on this project.

For more information, visit: https://www.kimmhup.com/

ARC381, Technology Studio IV: Adaptive Architecture, provided an opportunity for undergraduate students to compare digital design and physical fabrication techniques while creating architecture that can adapt and respond to its environment, changing shape in respond to stimuli such as humidity and light.

Taught by Tom Bessai and Nicholas Hoban, the intensive experimental workshop introduced students to current theories and methods for design and production and enhanced their fabrication skills.

Over the course of the semester, students were challenged to design a deployable enclosure, such as a pavilion, that could adapt to the specific physical and environmental conditions of a given location. They worked in groups of two or three to create both physical prototypes and digital models, and engage in ongoing testing of materials and assembly properties.

Physical tests and prototypes were cross referenced with digital design strategies. For each physical model, students were required to create a similar digital model and compare the two.

“The studio’s focus on technical processes will help give the students an edge in both the profession and in industry, where all parties are struggling to stay current,” says Bessai. “While we emphasized the use of cutting-edge technologies, we remained focused on iterative design, which is a central plank of the broader curriculum in design at Daniels.”

One of the goals of the undergraduate program's Technology of Architecture, Landscape, and Urbanism design stream is to advance design strategies within the changing technological context of the building industry, he explains.

“Our students are already working with confidence with the next wave of powerful tools and techniques.”

Over the course of the semester, Pablo Espinal Henao and Alex Reiner created a kinetic shelter that tracks the position of the sun and modulates its surface to block harsh sunlight.

After building their first prototype (image 2), the duo experimented with a different method to block the sun: curve folding, based on how flower petals expand and contract (image 3 & 4).
 
"We were inspired by [the work of architect] Jan Kaplicky so we strove to make something capable of existing anywhere," says Henao. "Mars is a bit of a stretch, but we just wanted to get playful with it."

Cezanne Llagan and Afsah Ali's project explored techniques for forming three-dimensional plywood shapes determined by two-dimentional cutting and darting patterns. The process delivered strongly figural modular components with axial symmetries. Ordered groupings of the components were developed into porous enclosures that responded to topography and other environmental features.

For their project, Mina Yip and Qin Wang created a structure that could modulate light within a black box theatre.

Evan Guan, Sarah Garland, and Sanjana Patel worked together to develop a textile-like, light screen made of wood. They designed a dynamic system that can alter the amount of shade that the screen casts.

Hao Wu and Jue Wu's project was developed as a shading structure made up of an aggregation of interlocking geometric shell components, carefully developed in a parametric environment. Secondary and tertiary systems responsive to climatic and humidity change were nested within and throughout the main components.

Kevin Nitiema and Raphael Kay experimented with curing wood veneers in low and high moisture content environments. The grain direction in the thin pieces of wood influenced how they bent in response to high or low humidity — similar to how pine cones naturally respond to different degrees of humidity, opening and closing  to effectively burrow into the ground without consuming any electrical energy. The students' series of experiments explored how climate-responsive-driven systems could be deployed in a variety of ways with no mechanical input to drive the movement.