“Instagram is high-speed design,” says Adrian Phiffer (MUD 2007). The Daniels Faculty Lecturer was written about in Canadian Art as an example of how architects are using the social media platform as part of their practice. He has since followed up with a piece in ArchDaily   explaining “why instagram should be part of every architect’s design process.”

He references Any Warburg, an iconographer, whose work “Mnemosyne Atlas” (1929) included symbolic images “juxtaposed and placed in a sequence in order to construct a visual understanding of the subject matter.” He also talks about OMA’s website, which displays “images of their buildings posted by the buildings’ ‘users’ via instagram.” (The homepage on the Daniels Faculty’s new website also includes instagram images from its own account @uoftdaniels and its followers.)

Last year, Phiffer’s own instagram account @officeofadrianphiffer was listed his account among ArchDaily’s “25 Architecture Instagram Feeds to Follow Now.”

You can read Phiffer’s full article on ArchDaily.

In addition to all the buildings that will be open for the public to explore this weekend — including One Spadina — Doors Open Toronto is presenting a Speaker Series focused on Canadian Architecture, with lectures Friday, May 26 and Sunday, May 28.

From the Doors Open Toronto website:

Keynote Event: What is Canadian Architecture?
East Harbour, 21 Don Roadway
Covered bike racks and free parking available
Friday, May 26, 7 pm

Canada’s landscape is vast and varied, with immense distances separating communities and cities. Much like the diversity that defines the country's identities and geographies, many Canadians embrace multiculturalism rather than assimilation. However, this is not the viewpoint of all, nor entirely representative of Canadian Culture.

Buildings and spaces created by Canadian architects illustrate and illuminate the many varied perspectives of Canadian identity – but, does a distinctly Canadian voice exist in Canadian architecture? A diverse group of leading architects from across the nation (and beyond) debate this in acknowledgement of Canada's 150^th birthday.

Venue provided by East Harbour
Closed-toed shoes are strongly recommended.

Panelists: A.J. Diamond, Omar Gandhi, Valerie Gow, Murray Legge, Susan Scott, Pierre Thibault
Moderator: Beth Kapusta

In partnership with the Toronto Society of Architects

MIA: Where Are the Women Architects?
The Great Hall, 1087 Queen St. W.
Sunday, 4 pm

The representation of women as practising lawyers and doctors in Canada is approximately 40 percent (rising to 61.4 percent for doctors under 35). Why is it then that the similarly demanding profession of architecture stagnated in 2005 and remains at 25 percent? What are the barriers women face in this field, why are they not advancing to leadership levels and what can be done? These questions and more will be discussed on this timely topic, featuring a panel of women architects from all positions in the profession.

Panelists: Mary Lou Lobsinger, Camille Mitchell, Barbora Vokac Taylor, Delnaz Yekrangian
Moderator: Elsa Lam

In partnership with The Great Hall

Photo above: detail of the graduate design studio at One Spadina, by Nic Lehoux

The Daniels Faculty is opening the doors to its new home at One Spadina Crescent during Doors Open Toronto, May 27 & 28. This will be the first public preview of the new Daniels Building, which is now nearing completion. All alumni, prospective students, and members of the general public are invited. Doors will be open from 10:00 - 4:00pm May 27 & 28. Please use the main east entrance, via the Russell Street crosswalk.

Visitors will take self-guided tours through the renewed heritage building and its contemporary addition, whose expansive, column-free studio space provides an unparalleled view up Spadina Avenue. Students, faculty and staff will be on hand to provide information on the history, design, and plans for the building. An exhibition of work by our graduate students in architecture, landscape architecture, and urban design will be on display throughout the building. When it officially opens in the fall, the new home of the University of Toronto's John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design will be a focal point for students, scholars, artists, and urbanists worldwide.

https://www.daniels.utoronto.ca/about/one-spadina/university-toronto-transform-iconic-toronto-landmark-new-home-john-h-danielsPhoto by Nic Lehoux

Globe and Mail architecture critic Alex Bozikovic recently reviewed the nearly complete Daniels Building, calling it "one of the best Canadian buildings of the past decade." The building is "spectacular," he says, "rich with arguments about how contemporary architecture, landscape, and urbanism can work with history and build the city of the future."

Photo by Nic Lehoux

Designed by Nader Tehrani and Katherine Faulkner, principals of the internationally acclaimed firm NADAAA — in collaboration with Architect-of-record Adamson & Associates, landscape architects Public Work, and heritage architects ERA — the revitalized One Spadina is intended to be an urban design exemplar and catalyst for the transformation of U of T’s western edge on the Spadina corridor. Once completed, One Spadina will be a showcase for the city and the University, and a world-leading venue for studying, conducting research, and advocating for architecture, landscape, and sustainable urbanization.

Learn more about the One Spadina project:

•     read our fact sheet
•     visit the Daniels Faculty’s Boundless webpage
•     view photos documenting the construction process by Peter MacCallum

In April, Daniels Lecturer and alumnus Ultan Byrne (MArch 2013) and alumna Elise Hunchuck (MLA 2016) were invited to present their respective research at the "Architectures, Data & Natures: The Politics of Environments" conference in Tallinn, Estonia. Organized by Maroš Krivy and featuring keynote talks by Matthew Gandy (Cambridge) and Doug Spencer (AA, Westminster), the conference interrogated the “two themes that stand out in contemporary architecture and urbanism: ecology, revolving around sustainability, resilience, metabolic optimization and energy efficiency; and cybernetics, staking the future upon pervasive interactivity, ubiquitous computing, and ‘big dat­a’.” The hypothesis discussed at the conference is that “they are really two facets of a single environmental question: while real-time adjustments, behaviour optimisation, and smart solutions are central to urban environmentalism, the omnipresent network of perpetually interacting digital objects becomes itself the environment of everyday life.”

“Typical CAPTCHA Threshold” screenshot by Ultan Byrne, 2017

In response to this environmental question, Ultan Byrne presented his work “Digital Thresholds and the Classification of Network Users” in which he looked to the technologies of the threshold that seek to distinguish ‘human’ from ‘bot,’ questioning them within the framework of urban theory: how can these technologies be conceptually positioned in relation to other technologies of the threshold (the password, the lock, the door, the city gate)? In what way did they develop over time (and with what relationship to research in Artificial Intelligence)? Byrne’s presentation looked to understand the contemporary moment, when it remains technologically feasible and is also considered valuable (economically, socially) to distinguish network users in this way.

Elise Hunchuck presented her project, Incomplete Atlas of Stones, in a presentation with Christina Leigh Geros (Harvard GSD) titled “Cartographies of Residence for Cities yet to Come: Points, Lines, and Fields.” Reassessing the terms of engagement with sustainability and resilience through her field work in northern Japan, Hunchuck presented her survey and mapping of historical environmental data for community-based resilience in the form of tsunami stone markers along the Sanriku Coast. A network of historical data at the scale of 1:1, Elise asks what the epistemological status of these markers might be; what kind of knowledge do they produce; and, what is the effect of these markers on the way communities and governments understand the always present risk of an earthquake or tsunami?

Presented as a case study alongside the PetaBencana initiative (in which the power of citizen cartographers is harnessed by the gathering, sorting, and displaying of geotagged tweets; each tweet sharing individual information about flooding, inundation, or critical water infrastructure in Jakarta, Indonesia), Elise’s Incomplete Atlas asks increasingly urgent questions while proposing transferable, multi-scalar, multi-centered approaches as a way to think in relation to our environments.

Both presentations will be made available online by the Faculty of Architecture, Estonian Academy of Arts, Estonia, in cooperation with the Department of Geography, Cambridge University, UK (the research project Rethinking Urban Nature).

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Ultan Byrne is a researcher with previous degrees in architecture and philosophy. In a combination of teaching, writing, and programming, Ultan considers the relationships between technologies of digital networking and persistent questions of architectural/urban design. Ultan is a lecturer at Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design at the University of Toronto.

Elise Hunchuck is a researcher and designer with previous degrees in landscape architecture, philosophy, and geography whose work focuses on bringing together fieldwork and design through collaborative practices of observation, care, and coordination, facilitating multidisciplinary exchanges between teaching and representational methods as a way to further develop landscape-oriented research methodologies at the urban scale. Elise is currently based in Berlin as the research coordinator of anexact office and the project assistant for Reassembling the Natural. A University Olmsted Scholar, Elise is also a member of the editorial board for SCAPEGOAT: Architecture / Landscape / Political Economy. Elise’s field work and research in Japan that formed the basis of her talk and MLA thesis was generously supported by the Daniels Faculty Peter Prangnell Travel Award (2015).

Lead image: “77 Tsunami Stones” from An Incomplete Atlas of Stones by Elise Hunchuck, 2017

On April 18 and 19, third year Masters of Architecture students presented the thesis preparation work that they completed for the studio course ARC3016. In this course, students had the opportunity to explore potential thesis ideas under the guidance of faculty members Aziza Chaouni, George Baird, Michael Piper, Brigitte Shim, John Shnier, and Shane Williamson. 

For the full photo album, visit the Daniels Faculty Facebook page.

Click here to learn more about the Daniels Faculty's Master of Achitecture program.

Several faculty and alumni will be recognized at the Ontario Association of Architects annual OAA Awards, presented May 26th. 

The OAA Awards offers the Ontario architectural profession an annual opportunity to present its work to a public and professional audience. It advertises the excellence of both individual award winners and the profession as a whole, and it fosters a greater appreciation of architecture and architects among all levels of society, professional and non-professional.

The Daniels Faculty would like to extend its congratulations to alumni and faculty members recognized this year.

Boulevard Club West Wing Replacement by Teeple Architects Inc. Photo by Scott Norsworthy

The Design Excellence category recognized the “innovative skills of Ontario architects in creating spaces, buildings and communities that respect and enhance the environment an enrich human activity.”

• Boulevard Club West Wing Replacement by Teeple Architects Inc. — the firm of Daniels Faculty Instructor Stephen Teeple
• Eva's Phoenix by LGA Architectural Partners (formerly Levitt Goodman Architects) — the firm of Janna Levitt (BArch 1986) and Dean Goodman (BArch 1983)
• Mike & Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum-Nano Centre, University of Waterloo by KPMB Architects — the firm of Shirley Blumberg (BArch 1976) and Bruce Kuwabara (BArch 1972)
• River City – Phase 1 & 2 by ZAS Architects Inc. — the firm of Paul Stevens (BArch 1987) — in joint venture with Saucier + Perrotte Architects

• Rosemary House (pictured above) by Kohn Shnier Architects — the firm of Daniels Faculty Associate Professor John Shnier
• Story Pod by Atelier Kastelic Buffey Inc. — the firm of Kelly Buffey (MArch 2007)
• Williams Parkway (Phase 1) by Rounthwaite Dick & Hadley Architects Inc. — the firm of Rob Boyko (BArch 1974)

Shobuj Pata by Studio JCI Inc.

The Concepts category recognized the “clarity and uniqueness of expression of an architectural idea as well as promoting the involvement of individuals in the areas of design presentation, art and other design related endeavors.”

• Shobuj Pata – Multi-Unit Residential Development by Studio JCI Inc. — the firm of Jaegap Chung (BArch 1999) and Sue Jean Chung (BArch 1999)
• Forwards and Backwards by Sessional Lecturer Jennifer Davis (MArch 2011) and Jon Sasaki

Ontario Science Centre by Moriyama & Teshima Architects

The Landmark Designation category recognized the “buildings that demonstrate architecture’s beauty, endurance and lasting contribution to community and society.”

• Ontario Science Centre by Moriyama & Teshima Architects — the firm of Raymond Moriyama (BArch 1954; Hon. 1994) and the late Ted Teshima (BArch 1962)
• The Fielding Memorial Chapel of St. Mark, Thornloe University by Townend Stefura & Baleshta Architects — the firm of John Stefura (BArch 1953) and Carl Skerl (BArch 1958)

The final three awards (the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Design Excellence in Architecture, the Michael V. and Wanda Plachta Award, and the People’s Choice Award) will be announced at the Celebration of Excellence Ceremony on May 26th as part of the 2017 RAIC/OAA Festival of Architecture being held in Ottawa.

The Daniels Faculty — in collaboration with the Ontario Climate Consortium (which includes the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and York University’s Faculty of Environmental Studies) as well as Parallel 52 and the Centre for Urban Growth + Renewal — is pleased to announce a student design competition to be launched at the 2017 Ontario Climate Symposium May 11 & 12. Participants will have the chance to contribute new ideas to the sustainable transformation of Toronto’s neighbourhoods — and win a $1,000 cash prize. The registration deadline is April 28.

Part of ongoing design-research, teaching and knowledge mobilization among Canadian and Dutch academic institutions, as well as private and public sectors, the design competition invites students from the Toronto region, the Vancouver region, and Dutch Universities to develop speculative, inventive and visionary pathways to the transformation of existing urban districts into net-positive biophilic communities, in both human and environmental terms.

The tower neighbourhood north of Finch on Kipling Avenue — one of Toronto’s largest apartment tower neighbourhoods — is the site of the competition. Students form any discipline and level of experience are challenged to envision the transformation of this site into to a resilient and environmentally and socially sustainable community.

Associate Professor Liat Margolis says the competition will build on past and ongoing design-research initiatives at the Daniels Faculty and strengthen relations with municipal and regional programs dedicated to issues of resiliency, climate change mitigation and adaptation, green infrastructure, and the sustainable retrofitting of social and affordable housing.

“The Competition is intended to expose students to these important issues and at the same time provide the professional experts with out-of-the-box, imaginative ideas for further exploration,” says Margolis. “The cooperation with the Dutch government and academic institutions is also very exciting as it provides opportunities to exchange experiences around municipal climate policies and transitioning to low-carbon urbanism.”

For detailed information on the competition, titled “Towers on the Ravine, 1967-2067: Transitioning to Net-Positive Biophilic Urbanism, visit the Ontario Climate Consortium website.

Questions? Contact Liat Margolis at liat.margolis@daniels.utoronto.ca

By Romi Levine
cross-posted from U of T News

University of Toronto post-doctoral researcher Terri Peters admires the sunlit graduate studio space on the third floor of the just-renovated One Spadina building – the new home of U of T’s John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design.

The large north-facing windows and the numerous skylights brighten the space without the need for artificial light.

Peters says this space is not only aesthetically pleasing, but it also has benefits to our well-being.

“You’ve got the natural light coming in and there's numerous studies that show increased productivity in day-lit environments,” she says. “Daylight is central to architecture and experience and to energy savings.”

Peters is the Daniels faculty’s only post-doctoral researcher. She studies how architecture and design can be used to both improve people’s well-being and be sustainable – calling the design practice “superarchitecture.”

“The idea with superarchitecture isn't that our buildings will get better, it's that we get better being in our buildings,” she says. “What if the jeans I was wearing were also toning my thighs and exercising me or my jacket should be charging my phone – all these things in our environment are designed and could be making us better.”

Peters guest-edited the most recent edition of Architectural Design Magazine on the topic of designing for health. Starting next month, she will be researching superarchitecture as a cross-disciplinary initiative between Daniels and the School of the Environment in the Faculty of Arts & Science.

“U of T has so many different people working on different parts of this puzzle,” she says. “No one discipline can claim all of this territory.”

There has been plenty of proof that improving our surroundings – by boosting natural light, adding greenery and plenty of fresh air – makes us feel healthier, says Peters.

“I've been gathering the evidence for this stuff. If we can prove it and we can argue it better, maybe it'll become a part of green building.”

There are certifications that measure well-being and sustainability, such as the WELL and LEED standards – but there needs to be a more comprehensive system, she says.

“There are challenges because fundamentally it should be about taking the existing condition and making it better whereas these green and wellness rating systems are about benchmarks and standards and measurement – they don't compare itself to itself,” says Peters.

Toronto is beginning to embrace superarchitecture, she says. The Active House – an experimental home designed by architecture firm superkül, which is led by U of T instructor Meg Graham – is putting these principles into practice.

“They're measuring green-ness and health and well-being and they're a bit like demonstration houses – they're not a mainstream way of building but they could be,” says Peters.

As these small examples of superarchitecture become more prominent, people will start to see – and feel – the benefits of conscientious design, she says.

“As people see it paying off, they’ll want these spaces and environments more – it will take off.”

Image, top: Terri Peters says the natural light at U of T's One Spadina building has "super" qualities (photo by Romi Levine)

Image, above: The Centennial Park Active House in Toronto was designed by superkül architects with Great Gulf and Velux Canada. It's an example of how superarchitecture can be used when designing homes, says Peters (photo courtesy of Terri Peters)

Current MArch student Kinan Hewitt and recent graduates Rupali Morzaria (BArch 2016) and Gabriel Valdivieso (MArch 2016) are among the winners of the HOLLYWOOD Design Competition hosted by Arch Out Loud. "Capitalizing on theiconic prominence of its site beneatht the famed Hollywood sign," the competition asked "participants to design a house of the future that demonstrates the use of innovative technology and integrative environmental strategies."

The Last of the First by Rupali Morzaria and Gabriel Valdivieso

Morzaria and Valdivieso collaborated to create “The Last of the First,” which won Director’s Choice. The project “integrates an interior kinetic volume—a rotating platform, that contains the circulation and specialized functions (kitchen, study, bedroom, washroom) of the unit,” writes Morzaria and Valdivieso in their project description. “Our design liberates its user from the constraints of static architecture, eliminating sequential circulation, fixed program, and a definite perception of space.”

LANDhouse by Kinan Hewitt and Dorothy Jones

Hewitt and competition partner Dorothy Jones received Honorable mention for “LANDhouse,” a proposal that resurrects the original “Hollywoodland” sign.

From the project description:

“Every house has a story, this is the story of the LAND house. Grounded in the history and culture of the site, this is not the last house on Mulholland, but perhaps the first. I can remember when the sign read HOLLYWOODLAND, announcing the arrival of the neighborhood, and the exile of the last four letters. I took it upon myself to resurrect these letters, and allow them to accomplish their fundamental purpose. The letters once again glow among the flashing of signal towers and warmth of homes. I find solace, retreating into LAND, and excitement in wandering its eminence.”

Photo, top: The Last of the First by Rupali Morzaria and Gabriel Valdivieso

The Townships Farmhouse designed by LAMAS — the firm of Assistant Professor Vivian Lee and Lecturer James Macgillivray — won Architizer’s A+ Awards, in the Residential – Private House XL > 5000 sq ft category.

From the project description on Architizer:

“In the eastern townships of Quebec, the courtyard configuration for barns has been used since the mid-19th century for convenience of access and for shelter against the wind.
For this working farm, our first design decision was to take the concept of the “aisle” from barns—essentially a thoroughfare for bringing in materials and livestock—and repurpose it outwards to capture views from the surrounding fields. Because the house is arranged in a courtyard formation it goes back in on itself and the interior spaces can be superimposed onto the background of the landscape in unexpected compositions.”
 

For each category, five finalists were chosen as a winner through a popular vote. The Jury Winners and Popular Choice Winners was announced on April 11, 2017 with an Award Gala Event taking place in May.

To view all projects considered for the Architizer A+ Awards, visit awards.architizer.com/winners-gallery/finalists/