Welcome to the start of the 2024-2025 academic year! Whether you’re a returning student at Daniels or this term is your first, I hope that your time at the Faculty is a happy and productive one. Our school is a special place at the University of Toronto and within the city of Toronto, and we want you to reap as much from your experience here as possible.

Over the next few weeks and months, I’ll look forward to connecting with as many of you as I can. If you have any questions or concerns now or throughout the coming year, please reach out to either the Office of the Dean (daniels-dean@daniels.utoronto.ca) or the Office of the Registrar and Student Services (registrar@daniels.utoronto.ca) at any time. 

This year as in previous ones, your coursework will be complemented by an exciting roster of extracurricular offerings. Launching this month, our Fall 2024 Public Program series includes lectures and presentations by some of the leading designers and thinkers in their fields. 

Among them this term are Chris T Cornelius of Wisconsin-based studio:indigenous (September 26), multidisciplinary artist Pio Abad (November 4) and Canadian architect Omar Gandhi (November 21). The series will kick off next week, on September 12, with a lecture by this year’s holders of the Frank O. Gehry International Visiting Chair in Architectural Design: Jing Liu and Florian Idenburg of New York practice SO-IL. 

In addition, look out for the staging of two new exhibitions at 1 Spadina this term—Urban Domesticity (opening September 12 in the Larry Wayne Richards Gallery on the ground floor of the Daniels Building) and Shaping Atmospheres (in the lower-level Architecture and Design Gallery starting October 2)—as well as a range of year-round activities planned around the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Black History Month and other noteworthy dates. 

Your schoolwork, of course, will keep you very busy, but I urge you to attend and to take in as many of these inspiring and illuminating events as you can. The Public Program at Daniels is a valuable resource available to our entire community and we hope that you’ll take advantage of it to the fullest. 

Have a great first semester!

Robert Levit (he/him)
Acting Dean
John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design

The John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design at the University of Toronto is excited to present its Fall 2024 Public Program. 

Through a curated series of lectures, exhibitions, book talks, discussions, and symposia, this semester’s program raises questions and delves into contemporary issues facing the built and natural environment. From housing typologies and modern legacies to Indigenous storytelling and the intersection of climate science, geopolitics, and artistic perspectives, we explore a diverse range of topics aimed at fostering dialogue and exchange across our disciplines. 

All events are free and open to the public. Register on Eventbrite in advance and consult the events calendar for up-to-date details. Many events will be live-streamed and available on the Daniels Faculty’s YouTube channel. 

Register

September 12, 6:30 p.m. 
Gehry Chair Lecture: Urban Domesticity 
Featuring Jing Liu and Florian Idenburg (SO–IL) 

September 12-October 25 
Exhibition: Urban Domesticity 
Larry Wayne Richards Gallery 

September 26, 6:30 p.m.
Future Ancestor 
Featuring Chris T Cornelius (Oneida) (University of New Mexico; studio:indigenous) 

October 17, 6:30 p.m. 
Architecture of Health: The Annual Zeidler-Evans Lecture
Designing for Older Persons in a Transforming World 
Featuring Dr. Diana Anderson, Molly Chan (NSDA Architects) and Stephen Verderber (Daniels Faculty, University of Toronto) 

October 18, 12:30 p.m.
Radio-Activities: Architecture and Broadcasting 
Featuring Alfredo Thiermann (EPFL) 

October 24, 6:30 p.m.
George Baird Lecture
Housing_Medium Please! 
Featuring Elizabeth Whittaker (Graduate School of Design, Harvard University; MERGE Architects)  

November 4, 6:30 p.m.
MVS Proseminar Artist Talk 
Featuring Pio Abad 

November 7-8 
Shaping Atmospheres  
Symposium organized by Ala Roushan (OCAD University) and Charles Stankievech (Daniels Faculty, University of Toronto) with support from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) 

November 7, 6:30 p.m.
Symposium Keynote: Shaping Atmospheres
Featuring Holly Jean Buck (University at Buffalo) and David Keith (University of Chicago) 

October 2-December 21 
Exhibition: Shaping Atmospheres 
Architecture + Design Gallery 

November 21, 6:30 p.m.
Where the Wild Things Are 
Featuring Omar Gandhi (Omar Gandhi Architects) 

November 22-23 
Preservation? Modernist Heritage and Modern Toronto 
Symposium organized by Aziza Chaouni and Robert Levit (Daniels Faculty, University of Toronto) 

November 22, 6:30 p.m. 
Preservation? Modernist Heritage and Modern Toronto 
Keynote Presentations and Discussion

Assistant Professor Rasoul Yousefpour has been appointed the new Executive Director of the Mass Timber Institute at the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design. 

Established at the Faculty in 2018, the Mass Timber Institute focuses on bridging the gap between academia, industry and Indigenous communities to drive forward mass timber technologies and practices. 

Yousefpour, who joined the Daniels Faculty as a tenure-track professor in Forestry in 2021, brings a wealth of experience in forest economics. His previous role at the University of Freiburg in Germany and his extensive research on forest ecosystem processes and timber markets make him an ideal fit to continue the Mass Timber Institute’s mission to position Canada as a global leader in sustainable mass timber products and technologies. 

“We will collaborate with research and industry partners in wood construction, design, manufacturing and production to tackle supply chain challenges and create solutions for the expanding sustainable building sector,” Yousefpour said of his goals as he steps into the role of director. “We are advancing a holistic forest-to-building model that rigorously evaluates the sustainability, economic benefits and potential GHG emissions reduction of wood-based housing policies.” 

Yousefpour will continue to work closely with Dr. Anne Koven, who will remain involved as the founding director of the Mass Timber Institute. 

Recent and ongoing initiatives of the Mass Timber Institute include: 

Ontario Forest and Wood Sector Model 
In partnership with the Centre for Research & Innovation in the Bio-Economy (CRIBE), this project investigates the supply and demand dynamics of wood fiber in Ontario. It aims to optimize supply chains and enhance the sustainability of the mass timber industry in the region. In collaboration with the International Institute for System Analysis (IIASA, Austria), the Ontario Forest and Wood Sector Model is developed to integrate global and regional wood production, imports and exports, offering a climate-smart forecasting and policy analysis tool for future wood markets including mass timber. 

Historical Tall Wood Structures in Toronto 
This research project, led by Ross Beardsley Wood, investigates the historical construction methods of Heavy Timber Mill Construction buildings in Toronto. The goal is to recover and document the construction principles of more than 40 significant examples across the city. 

Local Red Pine CLT Pilot Project 
In collaboration with the Ontario Woodlot Association and other partners, this initiative explores the use of local conifer plantation wood for cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels. By sourcing materials locally, the project aims to reduce the carbon footprint and support local economies. 

Mass Timber Building Science Primer 
MTI has published an open access “Mass Timber Building Science Primer,” authored by Professor Ted Kesik. This extensive guide is designed for professionals at all levels and provides detailed information on mass timber science, materials and construction technologies. 

Cost and Carbon for Commercial Construction in Canada 
MTI is working with Ha/f Climate Design, Entuitive and Bird Construction on a comprehensive report that explores the financial and carbon impacts of various structural systems. The report will highlight the potential of mass timber to reduce carbon emissions while remaining cost competitive. 

Mass Timber Today Podcast 
MTI’s podcast addresses challenges, innovations and trends in the mass timber sector. It features discussions on climate change, embodied carbon and supply chains, with insights from industry experts and practitioners. 

Mass Timber Institute Newsletter 
The newsletter updates on MTI’s research, projects and developments. It serves as a vital communication tool for engaging with industry professionals, academics and the public, and includes an annual virtual conference with The Architect’s Newspaper. 

For more details on the initiatives and recent projects, visit the Mass Timber Institute website. 

Images: 1) Rasoul Yousefpour. 2) Zero Carbon Hybrid Wood Tower Prototype. Courtesy of DIALOG.

A foremost expert on the subject of biochar, Professor Sean Thomas of Forestry recently had his research into the phytotoxicity and hormesis of the material published in the online journal Biochar, which covers agronomy, environmental science and materials science, particularly the preparation and processing of biochar and its multifunctional applications.

A charcoal made from organic waste materials prepared as a soil amendment, biochar is becoming a major tool in global efforts to combat climate change. The carbon in biochar lasts for centuries in both soil and building materials, and can therefore be critically important as a carbon sink.

In addition, biochars can increase plant productivity by retaining water and nutrients, while also reducing toxic substances such as heavy metals. On average, biochars have been found to increase tree growth by around 40 percent, and the City of Toronto is currently piloting biochar use in street trees in collaboration with Professor Thomas.

Some biochars, however, are better than others in terms of plant responses, with some plants showing negative responses to biochar in 10 to 20 precent of cases. What precisely has caused these responses has largely been a mystery.

With grant support from the NSERC Alliance and Alliance Missions program, the Thomas Research Lab set out to solve the mystery by surveying the extractable chemicals found in biochars, including both “good” and “bad” varieties.

During pyrolysis (the chemical breakdown of organic matter at high temperature in the absence of oxygen), many chemicals are produced that can be retained in biochar’s porous structure. Thomas and his Biochar co-authors—Ryan Ruan, Nigel V. Gale and Sossina Gezahegn—identified more than 150 such chemicals, but found that only a handful were common in biochars. They then conducted lab tests for toxicity to plants across a wide range of concentrations of the 14 most common chemicals present.

The results were clear: the most common chemicals in biochar that have toxic effects on plants are volatile fatty acids (VFAs) that include acetic acid (the main ingredient of vinegar) and related small acids with six or fewer carbon atoms (along with phenol).

During industrial pyrolysis, this mixture is produced in the initial steam generated; when condensed, the mixture is known as “wood vinegar.” While wood vinegar is a problem for plants, it is not toxic to people or most animals and is even used as a flavouring in some processed foods (think barbecue-flavoured potato chips).

Among the volatile fatty acids found, moreover, one was by far the most toxic to plants—namely the branched compound known as 2-ethylbutyric acid, which suppressed seedling development at concentrations about one-tenth that of any other compound tested. (Although biochars are commonly screened for chemicals of toxicity concern to humans, 2-ethylbutyric acid was not previously on anyone’s list.)

Finally, the research by Thomas et al. solved another long-standing question: Some prior studies in Asia had suggested that wood vinegar can be a benefit to plants at very low concentrations—a phenomenon known as “hormesis.” However, there were conflicting results, and the specific chemicals involved were unknown.

The new study found that two specific VFAs—valeric acid (named after the valerian herb) and caproic acid (named after goats due to its goat-like scent)—do have consistent beneficial “hormetic” effects on plants at very low concentrations, but are toxic at higher concentrations.

Ultimately, the hope is that knowledge of precisely what makes for “good” and “bad” varieties will result in better biochars that improve soils and contribute to more sustainable managed ecosystems.

In Toronto and other cities, better biochars can also help urban trees specifically as they weather drought, de-icing salt and dog urine, among other stresses.

To read the full report in Biochar, headlined “Phytotoxicity and hormesis in common mobile organic compounds in leachates of wood‑derived biochars,” click here.

Congratulations on your admission to the University of Toronto’s John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design—an unparalleled centre for learning and research offering graduate programs in architecture, landscape architecture, forestry, urban design and visual studies, as well as unique undergraduate programs that use architecture and design as bases for pursuing a broader education.     

When you choose to join us at Daniels, you’ll be a part of and have access to:  

•   The No. 1 university in Canada, the most sustainable university in the world, plus the fourth-best public university in North America and 12th worldwide 
• A dynamic downtown campus in the heart of Canada’s largest and most diverse city 
• Unparalleled extracurricular opportunities, including varsity athletics, clubs, international exchange programs and leadership/mentorship  
• Canada’s No. 1 university for graduate employability and top 20 globally 
• The highest scholarship and financial funding amongst all Canadian universities 

At the Daniels Faculty, the environment in which our students learn and congregate is as unique as our program offerings. Our hub at 1 Spadina Crescent—the Daniels Building—is a bold work of architecture and landscape on a prominent urban site between U of T’s St. George campus and the vibrant centre of Toronto. Across Spadina Crescent, the North and South Borden buildings (home to our visual studies programs) and the Earth Sciences Centre (HQ for forestry studies) complete the Faculty’s trifecta of sites. 

Whether you’re travelling to Canada to begin your studies, navigating a move to Toronto, or choosing our Faculty to continue your academic journey—we’re here to support you in all the steps ahead.   

So, what comes next?

Visit the Newly Admitted Students section of the Daniels website for resources, key contacts and important dates. 

• New Undergraduate Students (BAAS, BAVS) 
• New Graduate Students (MARC, MLA, MFC, MUD, MVS) 
• New Research Stream Students (MScF and PhD programs)

Have a question? Get in touch with us!

Please feel free to contact the Office of the Registrar and Student Services.

• undergraduate@daniels.utoronto.ca
• graduate@daniels.utoronto.ca
• researchstream@daniels.utoronto.ca

Currently on display across all three floors of the Daniels Building at 1 Spadina Crescent, the 2023/24 End of Year Show spotlights student work from each of the degree programs at the Daniels Faculty, including graduate and undergraduate studies in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Forestry, Urban Design and Visual Studies.

On view until the end of June, the annual exhibition this year encompasses “three-dimensional, two-dimensional, audio and digital projects,” say Brandon Bergem and Jeffrey Garcia, co-curators of the 2023/24 Show.

Both are sessional lecturers at the Faculty as well as the co-founders of the interdisciplinary design practice Office In Search Of (OISO).

“Our best approximation,” they say, “is that 300-plus students are represented [in the show], with contributions ranging from…a four-foot-by-four-foot orthographic drawing [and] a collection of gifs on a monitor [to] a three-foot-long section drawing and a handcrafted wooden lounge chair.”

According to the curators, the selection and organization of the vast body of student submissions was based largely on two guiding principles.

“The first was how to celebrate the immense collective creative output produced by students at the Faculty and not focus on individual students or prioritize any course or program. The second was how to best represent the projects optimally without compromising the integrity of the work.”

For example, they say, “students in the Forestry program produce exceptional research, and Visual Studies students often display work in formats that require different consideration than what we are accustomed to in studio reviews.”

As a whole, the exhibition offers a comprehensive and revealing survey of the wide-ranging yet synergistic study taking place at the school right now.

Still, say Bergem and Garcia, how to exhibit the breadth of this work presented no small challenge.

“The layout of an entire exhibition catalogue was spread across every pin-up panel in the main-floor hallway. In the second-floor hallway, each pin-up panel was dedicated to specific drawing types (site plans, sections, elevations, etc.), then covered in a wallpaper of black and white drawings from students’ projects, assembled like puzzle pieces. 

“On the second floor, we devised a continuous 16-foot strip composed of collages and renderings that were mounted on the walls in one of the rooms that projected into the space by wrapping around the columns. In another, tree-based objects like mallets, chairs and a memorial sculpture were staged like a tableau in the centre of the room, with research graphics attached to the walls.

“In a room on the third floor, most of the 2D material was suspended rather than pinned to the walls and the 3D objects were placed on a clustered field of plinths and light tables.”

Through these various entry points, visitors are consequently invited “to discern the themes based on commonalities and differences—for example, how can design be used as a method to advocate for biodiversity and the prevention of environmental degradation? How can the intersection of urbanism, architecture and social equity be used to inspire a higher quality of living? [And] how can the concept of a building site transcend physical location to be inclusive of cultural, historical and ecological influences?"

At the same time, questions based on medium and methodology—such as the effectiveness of orthographic drawings in communicating design intent and organization or the degree to which unconventional two- and three-dimensional forms challenge expectations of how design is interpreted—are also posed in the show.

The End of Year Show in its current building-wide incarnation will be on view at 1 Spadina until the end of June. A curated selection will then be installed in the Larry Wayne Richards Gallery and the Commons until early September. 

The Daniels Building is open to the public from 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. every weekday, with fob access only on Saturdays and Sundays.

All photographs by Adrian Yu + Office In Search Of

Ever wondered what's inside 1 Spadina Crescent? Curious about the history of the revitalized neo-Gothic building at its centre? Whether you have always wanted to wander the halls or simply haven’t visited in a while, there is something for everyone to discover during Doors Open Toronto 2024.

More than 150 buildings and sites are on the roster of this year’s instalment of the popular annual event, which sees local landmarks throw their doors open to the public. The Daniels Building at 1 Spadina Crescent will be open for self-guided tours on Sunday, May 26 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Originally built as a prospect to the lake, the historic structure was the first site of Knox College in 1875, a military hospital during the First World War and the place where Connaught Laboratories manufactured insulin in the 1940s. Today it’s home to the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design at the University of Toronto, which reimagined the complex for the 21st Century.

A striking contemporary addition, designed by NADAAA and completed in 2018, combines the Knox College structure with cutting-edge facilities, from versatile new studios to a digital fabrication lab. In addition to taking in the architectural splendours and storied history of the revitalized 1 Spadina hub, visitors will have plenty of current work to take in as well.

Here’s a glimpse at what will be on view:

End of Year Show 2023/2024 

A Daniels Faculty tradition encompassing a wide range of projects, this exhibition showcases student work from across the Faculty’s degree programs in Architecture, Forestry, Landscape Architecture, Urban Design and Visual Studies. Student work can be seen on all three floors of the Daniels Building. 

Outer Circle Road by Seth Fluker 

Outer Circle Road by Seth Fluker is a collection of Toronto photographs depicting a city’s energy in constant flux. On view in the first-floor Larry Wayne Richards Gallery and presented in partnership with CONTACT Photography Festival, the series reflects the dynamism of our urban context, a landscape of abundance, waste and regeneration.  

Robotics in Architecture and Design  

Throughout the building you will encounter robotic arms as well as a variety of installations and objects created with their help. Many of these were produced over the past week as a part of workshops run during ROB|ARCH 2024, an international conference centred on robotics in architecture and design. Outside, don’t miss Geosphere, a larger, immersive display by the faculty’s John Nguyen, Nicholas Hoban, Paul Kozak and Rahul Sehijpaul, that is installed at the south entrance.

Building Black Success through Design Showcase 

Head to room DA240 on the second floor for a celebration of the outstanding design achievements by the young designers who recently completed the Building Black Success Through Design (BBSD) program. BBSD is a free mentorship program at the Daniels Faculty for Black high-school students that inspires them to pursue excellence and innovation within design industries and academia, enhancing diversity in the fields. 

Eberhard Zeidler Library 

The library is open to the public, offering students, researchers, urban planners, design professionals, journalists and design aficionados access to art, architecture, landscape architecture and urban design collections unrivalled in Toronto.  

Admission to the Daniels Building and to all Doors Open venues is free. A dedicated brochure with map of the Daniels Building will be available for visitors.

Visit the Doors Open Toronto website for a full list of participating sites.

The lineup for the University of Toronto’s 2024 Alumni Reunion has been revealed—and it includes an intrigiung lecture at the Daniels Faculty.

On Friday, May 31, the Faculty will host “Constructing Health: How the Built Environment Enhances Your Mind’s Health,” a lecture and book talk by alumnus Tye Farrow, whose new volume of the same name will be published next month by University of Toronto Press.

A globally recognized expert in how the intentional shaping of our environment can support our physical and neurological well-being, Farrow acquired his Bachelor of Architecture degree at U of T in 1987 and was the first Canadian architect to earn a Master of Neuroscience Applied to Architecture (University of Venice IUAV), and has a Master of Architecture in Urban Design from Harvard University.

He is a currently a senior partner at Toronto-based Farrow Partners Inc., a full-service architecture and master planning firm known internationally for “creating architecture that lifts the human spirit.”

Among the firm’s projects is the SZMC Helmsley Cancer Center in Jerusalem, Israel’s flagship facility for cancer treatment. Realized in partnership with Rubinstein Ofer, the 7,500-square-metre complex (pictured above and on the cover of Farrow’s new book) provides physical, psychological, social and spiritual care services in addition to patient assessment and treatment.

Farrow’s lecture, which will explore how recent discoveries in cognitive psychology and neuroscience can help form “health-giving person-to-place relationships that are similar to healthy and meaningful person-to-person relationships,” will take place from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in the Main Hall of the Daniels Building at 1 Spadina Crescent.

To register for this free event, click here.

Copies of Farrow’s book will be available for purchase at the University of Toronto Bookstore (at 214 College Street on the St. George Campus) as well as at the lecture, where the author will be available for signings.

For the full roster of 2024 Alumni Reunion events, click here.

The 2024 edition of Lumière: The Art of Light has opened at Ontario Place and once again the Daniels Faculty is represented with a dynamic installation.

A free outdoor light-based art exhibition, Lumière welcomes visitors to Toronto’s Trillium Park to experience bold and imaginative public art created by Ontario artists from all artistic streams. Its theme this time around is CONNECTIONS, a catalyst for exploring “the various ways in which light can create connections between people, the environment and different aspects of our lives.”

Geosphere, the Daniels Faculty installation, is a large-scale timber reciprocal frame pavilion designed, fabricated and installed by a team of students and faculty led by John Nguyen, Nicholas Hoban, Rahul Sehijpaul and Paul Kozak.

One of 17 installations on display in the park, the pavilion is designed to create an immersive experience, allowing visitors to see and appreciate the structural capabilities of a reciprocal frame.

“Through computational geometry and robotic fabrication,” the Geosphere team explains, “individuals can explore this robust unique geometric system…rarely constructed at pavilion scale. A reciprocal frame is a grid of discrete linear timber elements where each timber element simultaneously supports and is supported by its neighbouring elements. The elements are structurally interdependent and in a hierarchy of equal importance.”

During the daytime, the length and width of the timber elements comprising Geosphere are on full display. At dusk, the UV light reveals the short side of the timber element, allowing the structure to seem weightless in space, and demonstrating how short-length timber can be used to span large distances in compression.

The fabrication and assembly team for Geopshere consisted of Cameron Manore, Liam Cassano, Ala Mohammadi, Sadi Wali, Kosame Li-Han, Selina Al Madanat, Zhenxiao Yang, Sophia de Uria, Mucteba Core, Shannon Dacanay, Nicole Quesnelle and Olivia Carson.

This is the second year in a row that a Daniels Faculty team has had a project featured at Lumière. Last year’s entry, Aeolian Soundscape, was created and installed under the leadership of Nguyen, Hoban, Sehijpaul and Brady Peters.

To view Geosphere this season, visitors have until Saturday, April 20, when the Lumière exhibition ends. All 17 light installations can be experienced seven nights a week from sunset to 11:00 p.m.

Every Friday and Saturday, bonfires will also be hosted at the Trillium Park firepit from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., weather permitting.

For more information on Lumière, click here.

Photography by 6ix Films

The national theme for Black History Month 2024 is Black Excellence: A Heritage to Celebrate, a Future to Build. 

This month is an opportunity to celebrate the contributions that Black individuals and communities have made to Canadian society, history and heritage—and for the Daniels Faculty to demonstrate its ongoing commitment to inclusion.  

The Faculty is marking Black History/Black Futures Month with public lectures that explore Black identity and the built environment, and by highlighting ongoing initiatives such as the Faculty’s Building Black Success through Design program, a curated book display in the Eberhard Zeidler Library, and an art installation that reflects interpretations of Black Flourishing.

Mark your calendar for public lectures

The Daniels Faculty’s Winter 2024 Public Program continues on February 1 with “I heard you were looking for me,” a lecture by architect and academic Germane Barnes (pictured above) exploring themes of community-oriented design, the expansion of architectural representation and alternative design authorship.  

Barnes’s award-winning research and design practice, Studio Barnes, investigates the connection between architecture and identity by examining architecture’s social and political agency through historical research and design speculation. Mining architecture’s social and political agency, he examines how the built environment influences black domesticity.  

Two weeks later, on February 15, architect Kholisile Dhliwayo of afrOURban Inc. will be at the Faculty to present “Black Diasporas Tkaronto-Toronto.” Dhliwayo (pictured above) leads the afrOURban project Black Diasporas, a community-led, geolocated oral-narrative mapping initiative that examines the experiences, spaces and places having meaning to Black people.

This lecture will outline how oral narrative, filmmaking and exhibition are both archival and aspirational—archival in their celebration of the spaces and places created by Black communities in Toronto and aspirational in the articulation of hopes and dreams and how these manifest in the built environment. 

Dhliwayo is a founding member of afrOURban Inc., an Adrian Cheng Fellow at the Social Innovation Change Initiative at the Harvard Kennedy School and a 2023 resident at the Center for Architecture Lab in New York City.

Visit an installation of student artwork 

Head to the Historic Stairwell between the second and third floors of the Daniels Building to view Black Flourishing: Six Student Artworks, a temporary installation that reflects diverse interpretations of Black flourishing and Blackness in design and community. 

In response to an open call by the Daniels Art Directive and the Daniels Faculty during the Winter 2023 term, the six artists represented offer their creative expression of Black traditions and futures of excellence. In alignment with the broad objectives of the University of Toronto’s Anti-Black Racism Report (2021) and the Scarborough Charter on Anti-Black Racism and Black Inclusion in Higher Education: Principles, Actions and Accountabilities (2021), this installation celebrates and promotes Black art and representation in university spaces. 

Check out a curated display in the Library

Stop by the Eberhard Zeidler Library all monthlong to check out a display of books about Black architects who made history, like Norma Sklarek and Paul R. Williams, and those who are making history today, like Afaina de Jong and Tosin Oshinowo.

Curated by Master of Architecture students Jessica Chan and Justina Yang, the recommendations are grouped into books on the general history of Black architects and books about specific Black architects. 

Learn more about Building Black Success in Design 

Since 2021, the Faculty has taken a proactive approach to addressing the lack of diversity in the design industry through its Building Black Success through Design (BBSD) program: a 12-week mentorship program for Black high school students interested in architecture and design.

BBSD partners high school students with current Black students or alumni from the University of Toronto serving as mentors. The current cohort includes 36 high-school-aged mentees and 13 mentors. Participants hone their skills across various mediums and software, while also delving into topics that resonate with their experiences and identity. At the end of the program, mentees will take away practical technical design skills, be able to research and use community feedback to inform their designs, and confidently present their ideas to their peers and mentors.

Now in its third year, the program was originally founded by three Black undergraduate students, Clara James, Renee Powell-Hines and Rayah Flash, while in the Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies program together. James continues to lead the program as the Faculty's Public Programming and Outreach Coordinator, while Powell-Hines is now a second-year Master of Architecture student and Flash is slated to graduate this year.

Follow along @bbsd.daniels and keep an eye on Daniels News & Events for future updates on the program.