What was the most enjoyable/memorable part of your Master of Architecture degree?
I remember that when I received my admission — I was so happy. It was a really memorable moment for me. I hope that the same emotional situation happens to me in the future! I thought it was a great achievement at that time because I was being selected among the many talented students in Canada and worldwide. 

What inspired your thesis topic?
The feminism movement in Islamic countries such as Morocco inspired me to work on the issue of space dichotomies in women's workspaces in remote areas of the MENA region. I traveled to southern Morocco and Central Iran to find a specific location for my thesis project and also to learn more about the women's workspaces in the rural areas in the MENA region. 
In short, my thesis project tackles issues of politics, the experience economy, and women's empowerment within the spatial arrangement of handicraft cooperatives in rural areas, in the face of the fast-growing tourist industry in the Guelmim region (located in southern Morocco). 

What is a piece of advice you would say to a prospective student?
Many students do not believe in themselves because they have no idea how talented they are!  I recommend students to rely on and believe in their skills and beliefs. In my opinion, the future of every country in the world is constructed by university students.  Being at school is the proper time to reconstruct, construct, and revise old and new ideas and strategies for the future. 

What are your plans after graduation?
My long-term plan after graduation is to establish my own business to help people to live in better conditions by providing them with better design solutions. I hope this dream comes true soon!  
 

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Convocation for #UofTDaniels students is on June 14. This month we are featuring our graduates, including their work, their memories, and their advice for new students. Follow #DanielsGrad18 for more!

Hotel Giudecca 2028, a design project by Daniels Postdoctoral Fellow Roberto Damiani in collaboration with Emma Dunn (MArch 2015), Mina Hanna (MArch 2015), and Zoé Renaud (MArch 2015), will be featured in the 2018 Unfolding Pavilion: Giudecca Social Housing / Little Italy, curated by Davide Tommaso Ferrando, Daniel Tudor Munteanu, and Sara Favargiotti on the Giudecca island in Venice.

Sited between the social housing complex designed by the Italian architect Gino Valle and the southern shore of the island, Hotel Giudecca 2028 is a design proposal for an open-framework hotel to provide the adjacent social housing complex with economic support and new amenities, and to promote more conscious modes of tourism.

The 2018 Unfolding Pavilion: Giudecca Social Housing / Little Italy opened on May 25th in Venice, with the opening of the 16th Venice Architecture Biennale.

For more details on the 2018 Unfolding Pavilion http://unfoldingpavilion.com

Associate Professor Brian Boigon participated in the panel discussion "Non-ordinary reality: Beyond the Virtual" at the 2018 Venice Biennale on May 26. Organized by the Institute of Architecutre at the University of Applied Arts Vienna, the panel included Kutan Syata, Agnieszka Kurant, Sanford Kwinter, Andrew Witt, and Barbara Imhof.

A writer and theorist, Boigon's research spans the last three decades in which analogue and digital modalities have confronted one another. From the multimedia days of the early 90s, when he developed a proto-avatar environment called  “The Cartoon Regulators,” to his current project, a series of speculative environments entitled “The Interopera,” Boigon's work marries the problems of motion design in cartoon animation and elsewhere with speculative notions derived from theoretical biology, quantum physics, and literary universes such as those of Geoffrey Chaucer, Timothy Leary, science fiction, and the Tibetan Book of the Dead.

Boigon is author of Speed Reading Tokyo (1990), Culture Lab (1992), We Have Impact (2014) and most recently The Interopera Reader (2017).

Image, top: 
Ember's Chrome Throat  2017
Corten steel, chrome, MDF plinth
edition of 2
22 x 29.5 x 5 inches 

What was the most enjoyable part of your Master of Architecture degree?
The most enjoyable part of my degree was working on my thesis at my own pace while making time to research, read and learn so much within my electives.

What inspired your thesis topic?
After travelling to an array of diverse cities around the world to explore their varying cultures and architectures, I was overcome by the importance of removing oneself from the noise of the metropolis and all of the benefits that come with a solitary experience. I wanted to foster the architecture of convents, monasteries, and other meditative spaces I had experienced into the city that I live in. Naturally, I was swayed to Toronto Island where the Artscape Gibraltar Point commune is located. The artists residency was not only an incredibly relevant program, but also in need of more space, resources and amenities. The site also happened to be seriously affected by erosion and flooding, so the design evolved into a solitary retreat that also incorporated the crucial coastal solution of a groyne field to build back up the land over time. 

Tell us more about your project!
My thesis explores architecture's ability to adapt over time. Located on Toronto Island, Artscape Gibraltar Point is an international, live-in artists residency that occupies a former schoolhouse. The design proposes an environmental solution to coastal erosion in the form of a groyne field, while incorporating the architecture of the artist's commune. The program is very carefully separated into the solitary and the communal and the architecture serves to frame its surroundings. As the groynes build up the land over time, the dynamics of the spaces between will evolve. As the program continues to expand, the axis are designed to accommodate fragmented additions as necessary.  

What is one piece of advice you would say to a new student?
Stressing will never help you, but sleep will.

What are your plans after graduation?
I took a two month trip around South America and am currently working at Diamond Schmitt Architects.

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Convocation for #UofTDaniels students is on June 14. This month we are featuring our graduates, including their work, their memories, and their advice for new students. Follow #DanielsGrad18 for more!

Unceded: Voices of the Land — Canada's exhibition at the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale — is the country's first Indigenous-led entry in architecture's most prestigious international festival. Presented by acclaimed architect Douglas Cardinal, with co-curators Gerald McMaster and David Fortin, the exhibition presents the work of 18 Indigenous architects from across Turtle Island (Canada and the United States).

In addition to highlighting and celebrating the contributions of Indigenous designers in the field, the exhibition underlines the important role of Indigenous architects in shaping the country's future.

“I firmly believe that the Indigenous worldview, which has always sought this balance between nature, culture and technology, is the path that humanity must rediscover and adopt for our future," said Cardinal in the Canada Council for the Arts' media release. "The teachings of the Elders are not the teachings of the past. They are the teachings of the future.”

As Murray Whyte reports in the Toronto Star, "the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada lists only 12 members who identify as Indigenous," but that could change, writes fellow Star columnist Shawn Micallef, “if educators and funding entities worked to attract youth to the profession using all the resources available and let them know they won’t be alone.”

Perhaps with the future in mind, Unceded curators enlisted James Bird, who will be starting his Master of Architecture degree at the Daniels Faculty this fall, to help coordinate a group of Indigenous architecture students from across Canada, including Daniels Student Katari Lucier-Laboucan. The university students will act as cultural ambassadors, offering tours, providing translations, and answering visitor questions at the exhibition over the course of its run.

A knowledge keeper from the Nehiyawak nation and Dene Nation, Bird, who recently completed his Bachelor of Arts in Indigenous Studies and Renaissance Studies at U of T, decided to pursue his undergraduate degree followed by a master’s in architecture after nearly 30 years as a carpenter, journeyman, and cabinet maker. He is also a member of the RAIC’s Indigenous task force, launched in June 2016 to seek “ways to foster and promote Indigenous design in Canada.”

For more information on the Canadian exhibition at the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale, visit www.unceded.ca, and read Elizabeth Dowdeswell’s article “Celebrating Indigenous people through their architectural vision,” in the Toronto Star.

Degree: Honours, Bachelor of Arts, major in Architectural Studies, minor in Italian Studies

What was the most enjoyable part of your degree?
I think studio courses are the most enjoyable part of an architectural degree. Studio culture is about learning how to incorporate creative thinking and problem solving into the design process, but it is also about learning how to communicate, collaborate, and negotiate with different people. Leaning into the discomfort of these challenges with other students by working together and supporting each other has led to some of the most memorable and meaningful moments of my degree.

What advice would you give to a new student?
I would encourage students to make a mess. Design schools are places where people of similar interests come together to exchange ideas; they are spaces of testing and making, of using experience and gaining experience. To make the most of your degree, give yourself the freedom to experiment, to play around, to make a mess, to fail, to wander and to grow.

Farah spoke at the official opening of the Daniels Building on November 17, 2017, providing remarks on behalf of the student community.

How has your understanding of architecture changed over the course of your degree?
Architecture as a discipline turned out to be a lot more dynamic than I imagined it to be, and I am always fascinated at the extent to which architectural thinking lends itself to other fields of knowledge. Over the course of my degree, I started understanding architectural design as a response to the context-specific conditions of different times and spaces. Consequently, I found architectural history to be the most engaging way to tell stories about and make connections between these different times and spaces, and the societies that occupied them.

What are your plans after graduation? How has this degree prepared you for the future?
What I appreciate the most about my undergraduate degree is that it helped foster in me a sense of curiosity and a desire to keep learning. Developing techniques and skill sets is certainly an important component of the undergraduate degree at the Daniels Faculty, but what I found to be most valuable is the way that my program encouraged me to think critically about and engage with architectural discourse. Carrying that perspective forward, I plan to continue learning at the Daniels Faculty of Architecture at the graduate level in September.  

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Convocation for #UofTDaniels students is on June 14. This month we are featuring our graduates, including their work, their memories, and their advice for new students. Follow #DanielsGrad18 for more!

What was the most enjoyable or memorable part of your Master of Architecture degree?
The most memorable part of my degree was traveling to Sarasota, Florida as part of my research studio. Our studio toured and studied the work of Paul Rudolph who spent his early career developing a highly contextual, regional architectural style in Sarasota. 

What inspired your #thesis?
My thesis topic was inspired by a longstanding exploration of residential form in Toronto. The realities of residential practice in this city often dictate a derivative, formulaic architecture based on zoning bylaws and building code. I was inspired by the formal and material innovation of modernists such as Paul Rudolph as well as the socially and environmentally performative work of contemporary Scandinavian practices to develop new residential models.

Tell us more about your thesis!
Using Toronto’s Annex neighborhood as a testing ground, my project proposed a gradient of urban infill typologies for incremental densification. These mid-density interventions aim to bridge the gap in planning policy designations that create an adversarial relationship between neighborhoods and their urban context. Narrow lot parcelization patterns are exploited through efficient aggregation and re-distribution of domestic program. Through a marriage of material innovation and contextual, qualitative domestic objectives, the hypothetical typologies aim to examine the morphological potential of Toronto’s established neighborhoods.

What advice would you give to a new student?
My advice to a new student would be to take advantage of the network of professionals you are exposed to at Daniels. Whether as mentors, instructors, or future employers, they represent a wide range of interests within the field and serve as an amazing resource during your studies and as you begin your career.

What are your plans after graduation?
I am currently an intern architect at Studio JCI, a small architecture studio in Toronto. Our firm specializes in mixed-use residential infill at a variety of scales. The work is a logical and rewarding extension to my past professional and academic experience.

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Convocation for #UofTDaniels students is on June 14. This month we are featuring our graduates, including their work, their memories, and their advice for new students. Follow #DanielsGrad18 for more!

Degree: Honours Bachelor of Arts, Architectural Design and Visual Studies

What advice you would give to a new student?
One thing I wish I could change in my university experience is that I wish I started spending time in studio earlier. At Daniels we constantly exposed to such great and inpiring artists and designers that at the end of the day it really motivates you to become a better artist. My only advice to new students is to spend more time in studio and become a part of the studio culture, you will definitely benefit from it! 

How has your understanding of architecture changed over the course of your degree?
I never wanted to be an architect. It was never my dream. Growing up, I changed my mind about what I wanted to be every couple of months—I wanted to be a sergeant, then a teacher, then a volleyball player, and the list keeps going. Because I didn’t necessarily want to study architecture, I hated my first year, but then I met a professor who gave me an even harder time and pushed me to work harder; he showed me what my actual potential was and he made me fall in love with architecture. Working late nights in the studio and engaging with other students, I didn’t just fall in love with architecture but with the studio culture as well. Everyone helps and gives feedback on one another’s designs for further improvement. Each project I worked on became a part of me and I worked on it for hours and hours. For the first time in my life I knew what I wanted to be and how I wanted to spend the rest of my life. I never wanted to be an architect, never planned on being one, but I know for sure that’s what I am meant to be. 

What are your plans after graduation? How has this degree prepared you for the future?
I decided that I want to continue studying architecture and I will start my MArch degree at the Daniels Faculty in September. Eventually I would like to be that one professor who makes students not just like architecture but fall in love with it. 

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Convocation for #UofTDaniels students is on June 14. This month we are featuring our graduates, including their work, their memories, and their advice for new students. Follow #DanielsGrad18 for more!

What was the most memorable part of your Master of Architecture degree?
My education at Daniels taught me how to design through research. It strengthened my capacity in analysis and design. I learned how to build architecture in my bachelor degree, but  Daniels taught me why to build it.

What inspired your thesis?
After a class trip to Utah, where we saw great land art, I wanted to further explore the relationship between humans and landscape.

Tell us more about your project!
At the Francon quarry in Montreal, plowed snow is stored during the winter, contaminating the soil and groundwater in surrounding marginalized communiites. I proposed desrupting this cycle of resource extraction and disposal with a remediation project that transforms snow from waste into a cold energy source. Through heat exchange and desalination, contamination is reduced while the proposed structure creates a recreational space for the neighborhood and rconnects them to the site. Transformed, the urban void created by the quarry helps rehabilitate the city.

What are your plans after graduation?
I have a strong desire to excel in the profession, and am seeking to align myself with a company positioned for strong growth!

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Convocation for #UofTDaniels students is on June 14. This month we are featuring our graduates, including their work, their memories, and their advice for new students. Follow #DanielsGrad18 for more!

Degree: Honours Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies and Visual Studies

What was the most enjoyable part of your Honours Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies and Visual Studies degree?
Most enjoyable for me has been the friendships I've made with my brilliant and inspiring colleagues. Students often describe Daniels as "tight-knit community", and I wholeheartedly agree; the sense of camaraderie found in the 'studio culture' of both Architecture and Visual Studies has been a memorable and gratifying aspect of my time at U of T. Supporting each other on in-school and extracurricular projects and learning from our collective experiences in fields outside architecture allows for a broader and more rewarding education, not to mention making lifelong friends along the way.

Want to Play Cars? | VIS204 Installation with Ed Pien, Dec 2017
This work explores the idea of play. As kids, we project our imaginations onto the world around us; anything can become a castle, or a road, or a bridge, or a parking lot. 'Playing cars' with friends was a big part of my childhood, so this was a lot of fun to revisit. The pipes in the installation room made for a fantastic, untapped world to explore, and I added an aerial video projection of a real city for context. So, want to play cars?

What advice would you give to a new student?
Consider all of your courses as one giant course. Although every student has different subjects that they study (or different classes within architecture), avoid artificially siloing them: each can bring something new and unique to another, and taken as a whole your education will be far more fulfilling than if they are kept in isolation. Always be thinking about how you can use what you've learned in one class to influence your work in another!

Tension Tower | ARC280 Modelling and Fabrication in Design with Nicholas Hoban, April 2018
Modelling proves a tricky means of exploring a project's physical strength. While often highly delicate, they represent towers that are designed to be strong and resilient. This project was a study in structure, where two non-parallel cores serve to anchor and self-align each floor plate. The final model was built without the use of glue, supporting itself exclusively through tension.

What are your plans after graduation? How has this degree prepared you for the future?
I currently work in the Woodworking and Fabrication lab at Daniels and plan to pursue my Master's degree in the future. As the program encourages students to pull knowledge and experience from courses outside the faculty, such as Environmental Studies, Physics, and Gender Studies, I feel that the breadth of education that Daniels provides has allowed me to broaden my sense of what art and architecture can be and how those practices can influence one another. I'm planning to pursue a career in design/build with an ecological and artistic focus.

Den | VIS431 Thesis with Joanne Tod and John Massey, April 2018 | Photo: Harry Choi
Where does architecture end, and furniture begin? Den explores the architecture of play at furniture scale. Invoking the magic of creative, anarchic, childlike freedom, Den is a playful take on the spatial spectrum and inspired by the unprogrammed primitive shelters of animals.

Illustrations in slideshow, top:
Smaller Than Life | VIS308 Advanced Drawing with Ed Pien, Feb 2017 | Pencil on Paper
This work compares reality and perception. Four stills of my model train set are composed as though they are actual photos of a landscape, and rendered in a traditionally realistic way. However, each still includes a nod to the truth of their existence, such as a leaning paintbrush, unhooked train track, or the rafters of my basement. As such, it is a series of drawings (abstractions) of photographs (direct depictions) of a model (abstraction) of reality, where the abstractions are meant to increase the true reality relative to the perceived and expected idea of what is being shown. The work is scaled to the relative size of the train set, self-reflecting on the idea of the constructed image.

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Convocation for #UofTDaniels students is on June 14. This month we are featuring our graduates, including their work, their memories, and their advice for new students. Follow #DanielsGrad18 for more!