Wednesday, April 8 to Wednesday, April 29
Daniels Building
1 Spadina Crescent

Whether you're a future student, an alum or a member of the public with an interest in architecture, forestry, landscape architecture or urban design, you're invited to join the Daniels Faculty for Winter 2026 Reviews. 

Throughout April, students from across our undergraduate and graduate programs will present final projects to their instructors and guest critics from academia and the professional community. 

All reviews will take place in the Daniels Building at 1 Spadina Crescent from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (unless otherwise stated). Follow @uoftdaniels on Instagram and join the conversation using the hashtags #danielsreviews and #danielsreviews26. 

Please note that times and dates are subject to change. 

Current students should reference the Final Examinations & Reviews schedule for more information.

Wednesday, April 8  

Design + Engineering I (ARC112) | Undergraduate
Instructors: Jay Pooley & Mahsa Malek
Room: 200

Exploring Design Practices (ARC302) | Undergraduate
Instructor: Richard Sommer
Room: Main Hall 

Thursday, April 9  

Design Studio I: How to Design Almost Anything (JAV101) | Undergraduate
Coordinator: Petros Babasikas
Instructors: Anthony Kalimungabo, Mo Soroor, Reza Nik, Erica Kim, Scott Sorli, Harry Wei, Kara Verbeek, Katy Chey, Jeannie Kim
Rooms: Main Hall (170A, 170B), 215, 230, 330 

Friday, April 10  

Drawing and Representation II (ARC200) | Undergraduate
Coordinator: Jeffrey Garcia
Instructors: Roberto Damiani, Nova Tayona
Room: 330

Design Studio II: How to Design Almost Nothing (ARC201) | Undergraduate
Coordinator: David Verbeek
Instructors: Francesco Valente-Gorjup, Daniel Briker, Anne-Marie Armstrong, Maria Denegri, Adrian Phiffer, Michael Piper, Anne Ma, Jay Pooley, Miles Gertler, Fiona Lim Tung
Rooms: Main Hall (170A, 170B, 170C), 230, 215, 240, 2/F hallway

Monday, April 13

Architecture Studio IV (ARC362) | Undergraduate
Coordinator: Shane Williamson
Instructors: Chloe Town, Laura Miller
Rooms: Main Hall (170A, 170B), 230

Technology Studio IV (ARC381) | Undergraduate  
Instructors: Paul Howard Harrison, Suzan Ibrahim
Room: 330

Tuesday, April 14

Design Studio 2 (LAN1012) | Graduate
Instructors: Behnaz Assadi, Liat Margolis
Rooms: Main Hall (170A, 170B, 170C)

Comprehensive Studio III (ARC369) | Undergraduate  
Coordinator: Daniel Briker
Instructors: Mauricio Quiros Pacheco, Fiona Lim Tung
Rooms: 209, 215, 230
Time: 10:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. 

Multidisciplinary Capstone Design Seminar (ARC491) | Undergraduate  
Instructor: Erica Kim
Room: 330

Wednesday, April 15

Architectural Design Studio 2 (ARC1012) | Graduate  
Instructors: Fiona Lim Tung (Coordinator), Shane Williamson, John Shnier, Behnaz Assadi, Mauricio Quiros Pacheco, Laura Miller
Indigenous advisor: PhD candidate James K. Bird
First Peoples Leadership Advisory Group: Amos Key Jr., Trina Moyan, Dorothy Peters
Rooms: Main Hall (170A, 170B), 215, 230, 240, 330

Landscape Architecture Studio IV (ARC364) | Undergraduate   
Instructor: Peter North 
Room: 315

Undergraduate Thesis
ARC462

Senior Seminar in Design
Instructor: Jeannie Kim  
Room: 209
Time: 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Thursday, April 16

Comprehensive Studio (ARC2014) | Graduate 
Coordinators: James Macgillivray, Aleris Rodgers
Instructors: Maria Denegri, Jon Cummings, Steven Fong, Pina Petricone, Christopher Cornecelli, Carol Phillips
Rooms: Main Hall (170A, 170B, 170C), 215, 230, 240

Design Studio 4 (LAN2014) | Graduate  
Instructors: Robert Wright, Francesco Martire, Todd Douglas
Room: 330

Friday, April 17

Comprehensive Studio (ARC2014) | Graduate 
Coordinators: James Macgillivray, Aleris Rodgers
Instructors: Maria Denegri, Jon Cummings, Steven Fong, Pina Petricone, Christopher Cornecelli, Carol Phillips
Rooms: Main Hall (170A, 170B, 170C), 215, 230, 240

Design Studio 4 (LAN2014) | Graduate  
Instructors: Robert Wright, Francesco Martire, Todd Douglas
Room: 330

Monday, April 20

Urban Design Studio 2 (URD1012) | Graduate
Instructor: Nusrat Jahan Mim
Room: Main Hall (170A)

Selected Topics in Advanced Computer Applications (ARC3202) | Graduate
Instructor: Alstan Jakubiec
Room: Main Hall (170B)
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Selected Topics in Architecture (ARC365) | Undergraduate
Instructor: Adrian Phiffer
Room: Main Hall (170B, 170C)
Time: 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Graduate Thesis
LAN3017

Design Studio Thesis
Coordinator: Elise Shelley
Instructors: Behnaz Assadi, Liat Margolis, Francesco Martire, Fadi Masoud, Peter North, Robert Wright
Rooms: 209, 215, 230, 240, 242, 315, 330, 340

Tuesday, April 21

Advanced Topics in Architecture (ARC465) | Undergraduate
Instructor: Zachary Mollica
Room: Main Hall (170C)
Time: 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Graduate Thesis
LAN3017, URD2015

Design Studio Thesis
Coordinator: Elise Shelley
Instructors: Behnaz Assadi, Liat Margolis, Francesco Martire, Fadi Masoud, Peter North, Robert Wright
Rooms: 209, 215, 230, 240, 242, 315, 330, 340

Urban Design Studio Thesis
Coordinator: Mason White
Instructors: Michael Piper, Roberto Damiani, Nusrat Jahan Mim, Mariana Leguia Alegria, Angus Laurie, Simon Rabyniuk
Rooms: Main Hall (170A, 170B)

Wednesday, April 22

Graduate Thesis
ARC3021

Almost Ordinary
Instructor: Michael Piper
Rooms: 209, 230, 240

Rehearsing the Parade: Ephemeral Architectures and Persuasion on the Move
Instructor: Miles Gertler
Room: Main Hall (170B), 330 

Public, Building, Forms
Instructor: Adrian Phiffer
Room: Main Hall (170A) 

Thursday, April 23

Graduate Thesis
ARC3021

Trading Places
Instructor: Jeannie Kim
Rooms: 330, 340

When the Impossible Happens
Instructor: Brian Boigon
Room: 230
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

The Archipelago Studio
Instructor: Petros Babasikas
Rooms: Main Hall (170B, 170C)

Public, Building, Forms
Instructor: Adrian Phiffer
Room: Main Hall (170A) 

Friday, April 24

Thesis II (ALA4022) | Post-Professional
Coordinator: Mason White
Instructors: Brady Peters, Robert Wright, Fiona Lim Tung, Nusrat Jahan Mim, Alstan Jakubiec, Brady Peters
Rooms: 209, 242, 2/F hallway

Graduate Thesis
ARC3021

Trading Places
Instructor: Jeannie Kim
Rooms: 230, 340

Architecture and the Right to Housing
Instructor: Karen Kubey
Rooms: Main Hall (170C), 215, 240

Design Technologies
Instructor: Humbi Song
Rooms: Main Hall (170A, 170B)

Bioregional Futures
Instructor: Sam Dufaux
Rooms: 330, Outdoor Courtyard

Monday, April 27

Undergraduate Thesis
ARC457, ARC462, ARC487

Senior Seminar in History and Theory
Instructor: Simon Rabyniuk
Room: Main Hall (170A, 170C)

Senior Seminar in Design
Instructor: Jeannie Kim  
Room: Main Hall (170B), 240 (a.m.), 242 (p.m.)

Senior Seminar in Technology
Instructor: Nicholas Hoban
Rooms: 230, 242 (a.m.)
Time: 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Tuesday, April 28

Undergraduate Thesis
ARC457, ARC462, ARC487

Senior Seminar in History and Theory
Instructor: Simon Rabyniuk
Room: Main Hall (170A, 170C)

Senior Seminar in Design
Instructor: Jeannie Kim  
Rooms: Main Hall (170B), 209, 242 (p.m.), 330

Senior Seminar in Technology
Instructor: Nicholas Hoban
Room: 230, 242 (a.m.), 1/F Hallway
Time: 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Wednesday, April 29

Selected Topics in Architecture (ARC3703) | Graduate
Instructor: Laura Miller
Room: 330

Modeling and Fabrication in Design (ARC280) | Undergraduate
Instructor: Brady Peters
Room: 215, 230, 240, 2/F Hallway
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m

Design & Community-Engagement  Capstone Project (ARC492) | Undergraduate
Instructors: Michael Piper & Joshua Kirk
Room: Main Hall (170B, 170C)
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m

Designed for high school students, our summer program provides a comprehensive introduction to architecture and explores different ways of seeing, thinking and making.

We offer two 2-week courses in both July and August 2026 for ages 14 to 18.

New this year is a a 2-week portfolio design course for ages 16-18 (graduating high school in 2026 or 2027), ideal for students interested in applying to university programs in architecture and visual studies.

Learn more and register

May 23 & 24, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. 

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 the Daniels Building in a while, there is something for everyone to discover during Doors Open Toronto 2026! 

Family-friendly

The Daniels Building welcomes visitors for public tours, May 23 & 24 between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. 

The Toronto Society of Architects (TSA) will host a children's activity in our Commons (main floor atrium) on both days. Participants will be encouraged to think about buildings, landscapes and urban infrastructures through Building a Paper City.

Sunday lecture: What is Toronto's architectural identity?

TSA will also host a special discussion on the topic of Toronto's architectural identity, Sunday, May 24 from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. in the Daniels Building Main Hall. All welcome!

Student work showcase

While you're here, our End of Year Show 2025/26 will feature a wide range of projects produced in our architecture, landscape architecture, forestry, urban design and visual studies programs. The drawings, graphics, models and videos displayed throughout the Daniels Building demonstrate an exuberance for innovative digital and physical approaches to the objects and environments we imagine, create and nurture.

History 

Originally built as a prospect to the lake, the historic structure at 1 Spadina Crescent 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.

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.

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.

Organized in collaboration with the Foolhardy’s Red House Restoration Project and the Town of Perth, the Tay Basin Landscape Ideas Competition invited creative proposals for the redevelopment of the Tay Basin site as a flexible and welcoming public square. Open to all Daniels students, the competition was also integrated into LAN3200: Landscape Architecture Competitions, a graduate seminar in the Master of Landscape Architecture program, taught by Professor Alissa North.

On Friday, March 27 the competition jury shared their thoughts on the student work, highlighting what they found most compelling in the submissions. Selected projects will move on to a public exhibition in Perth later this spring:

First Place           

TAY ISLAND SQUARE (#012)
By third-year master of landscape architecture (MLA) students Claire Leverton and Benjamin Dunn (pictured above)

Second Place     

AVENUE OF THE ARCHIVES (#007)
Second-year MLA student Katherine Gorelik (pictured above)

Third Place            

WATER AS COMMON GROUND (#003)
Third-year master of architecture (MArch) students Zhongzhu Li and Yunle Chen (pictured above)

Honourable mentions

PERTHITE PLAZA (#010)
Third-year MLA students Jaeyong Ahn and Suet Wing Lo

TAY BASIN LANDSCAPE DESIGN (#006)
Third-year bachelor of arts, architectural studies (BAAS) undergraduate Valeriia Puchnina

Submissions pictured above 

The competition thanks the jury members: 

— Robert Allsopp, Fellow of the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects (CSLA) and Partner Emeritus DTAH

— Alex Bozikovic, Architecture Critic, The Globe and Mail, Lecturer and Visiting Critic at the Daniels Faculty

— Victoria Gibb-Carsley, Executive Director, Perth and District Community Foundation 

— Noah Greer, Manager of Construction and Development Support, Town of Perth

— David Leinster, Principal, Landscape Architecture, The Planning Partnership  

— Cathy McNally, Director of Community Services, Town of Perth

— Adam Smith (Jury Chair and Competition Co-Coordinator), Architect, RAW Designs Inc.

— Gary Waterfield, Perth Councillor

Fri, Mar 27 2026, 10 - 11:30am
Daniels Building, 1 Spadina Crescent |  2nd Floor, KPMB Seminar Room 230

Organized in collaboration with the Foolhardy’s Red House Restoration Project and the Town of Perth, the Tay Basin Landscape Ideas Competition invited creative proposals for the redevelopment of the Tay Basin site as a flexible and welcoming public square. 

Located along the Tay River in its historic downtown core, the approximately one-hectare site currently functions as a mixed landscape of open lawn, trees, and parking near key landmarks including Perth's Crystal Palace and the proposed restored 1816 Red House. 

The competition challenges all undergraduate and graduate students to envision how the area could better support community events, markets, public gathering and everyday use while integrating sustainable landscape strategies and universal accessibility. The competition was also integrated into LAN3200: Landscape Architecture Competitions, a graduate seminar in the Master of Landscape Architecture program. 

The Daniels LAN300 seminar is taught by Professor Alissa North, a landscape architect, founding partner of North Design Office, and scholar whose research examines contemporary landscape architecture practices, public space design, and the role of competitions in shaping the discipline. Through the course, students analyze influential landscape architecture competitions and apply this knowledge by developing their own proposals for the Tay Basin site.

At the vernissage, the jury will share their thoughts on the student work and highlight what they found most compelling in the submissions. Winners and honourable mentions will be announced at 11:30 a.m. Selected projects will move on to a public exhibition in Perth later this spring.

The jury members are: 

• Robert Allsopp
• Alex Bozikovic 
• Victoria Gibb-Carsley
• Noah Greer  
• David Leinster 
• Cathy McNally 
• Adam Smith (Jury Chair and Competition Co-Coordinator) 
• Gary Waterfield 

Tay Basin site images above courtesy of Alissa North

The Indigenous Task Force of the Royal Architecture Institute of Canada (RAIC) states there are only 20 registered Indigenous architects in Canada. This number represents one-fifth of the 1 per cent of prasticing architects in the country.

“Within the Daniels student body, we have only ten Indigenous students out of more than 1,500,” says Trina Moyan, who is Nehiyaw (Plains Cree) from Frog Lake First Nation. “Because of the policies in the Indian Act, our Peoples have been made vulnerable and marginalized for generations. These ten students have lived through the impacts of that history. They have pushed through and fought hard to get here. BIRD – Building Indigenous Representation at Daniels – is about increasing future student enrolment.”

Launched in January as a six-month pilot, BIRD is supported by the University of Toronto’s Access Strategy and Partnerships Office and its Access Programs University Fund (APUF), dedicated to supporting U of T initiatives that reduce barriers to education.

“Creating a sense of familiarity and comfort within the Daniels environment and the university broadly will hopefully inspire Indigenous students to apply to these programs,” says Jewel Amoah, assistant dean of equity, diversity and inclusion at the Daniels faculty.

BIRD has been informed by consultations with internal U of T partners engaged in supporting access and outreach for Indigenous students, including the Office of Indigenous Initiatives, First Nations House and the Indigenous Recruitment Officer, as well as Indigenous students at Daniels, Greater Toronto Area school boards and local architecture firms engaged in projects with Indigenous communities.

"This broad collaboration in the design and implementation of BIRD reflects our intention to engage Indigenous voices with and in the Daniels community," says Robert Levit, acting dean of the faculty. "Our response to the Calls to Action begins with establishing access for Indigenous youth to Daniels and helping these young people to build relationships with the people and programs across our community."

Through grassroots outreach—including to the Indigenous knowledge‑centred Kapapamahchakwew (Wandering Spirit School) in Toronto, the Urban Indigenous Education Centre and the Eshkiniigjik Naandwechigegamig (ENAGB) Indigenous Youth Agency—twenty urban youth are participating in this year’s pilot.

The program is coordinated by members of the Indigenous Students' Coalition at Daniels, Angel Levac (Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory) and Shadrak Gobert (Frog Lake First Nation).

"Through my outreach for the program, I found that Indigenous youth are genuinely excited about what Daniels has to offer,” says Gobert. “What stood out most is that our young people are motivated, capable, and ready to lead and make change; they just need access to opportunity and a strong support system to help them thrive. Many simply weren't aware of the range of opportunities and programs that are available to them. BIRD aims to be a meaningful part of that journey to support their paths."

In addition to hands-on activities and visits to exhibitions, the students will visit community spaces on campus, such as Ziibiing and First Nations House. They will also learn about the different study options and careers, with an emphasis on programs offered at the Daniels faculty, including architecture, forestry, landscape architecture, urban design and visual studies.

Feedback from participants in the BIRD program will help to inform future access and outreach initiatives geared towards Indigenous youth, as well as intensify ongoing work to include Indigenous knowledge and history across the faculty's undergraduate and graduate programs.

“You can come here. You can learn, and through your Indigenous worldview you can shift and bend and change the way these professions are taught and practiced,” says Moyan, who, together with Elder Dorothy Peters and Amos Key Jr., form the First Peoples Leadership Advisory Group at the Daniels faculty.

Elder Dorthy is a Traditional Teacher, Community Nookmis, and a member of Jiima’aaganing (Seine River) First Nation. Key Jr. is a member of the Mohawk Nation and Traditional Faith Keeper of the Longhouse at Six Nations of the Grand River Territory.

Grounded in community knowledge and relationships, the advisory group’s efforts and ongoing support of BIRD connect to the viewpoints shared by one of the world’s most prominent Indigenous architects, Douglas Cardinal. Born in Calgary to a father of Blackfoot heritage and a German/Métis mother, Cardinal serves as the decanal advisor on Indigenous knowledge at Daniels. Cardinal, who received an Honorary Doctor of Laws from U of T in 2022, identifies contemporary Indigenous architecture as an embodiment of six core Indigenous values and principles. Among these is the teaching that “when one plans for the future, one must plan for all life-givers for seven generations.” BIRD is now part of this generational planning, helping shape a future rooted in Indigenous knowledge.

“We're all here trying to do beautiful work that benefits all of life. This is a foundational teaching amongst First Peoples and is central within our code of ethics,” says Moyan. “We all need to be guided by those beautiful grandfather teachings of love, respect, truth, honesty, humility, bravery, and wisdom. These teachings should be the principles of design taught at Daniels. Having more Indigenous students studying at Daniels will help to make that happen.” 

BIRD also expands the Daniels faculty’s ongoing commitment to access and outreach.

Nikibii Dawadinna Giigwag (NDG), meaning “flooded valley healing” in Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe), connects Indigenous youth with elders, mentors, and landscape architects through summer employment. Founded in 2018 by Elder Whabagoon, who is Ojibwe, sits with the Loon Clan, and formerly served as the faculty’s first Indigenous advisor, and by Liat Margolis, an associate professor of landscape architecture, the program blends land-based learning with design and community building. 

Now in its fifth year, Building Black Success Through Design (BBSD), led by Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream Joshua Kirk, is a free 12‑week mentoring program supporting Black high school students interested in architecture, art and design. Participants develop portfolio‑ready work while exploring creativity, cultural heritage while exploring theme of design for belonging through site-specific Toronto projects.

“Access and outreach programs help address the underrepresentation of Indigenous and Black students at the university,” says Amoah. “By naming these groups as priority communities, we’re able to put real resources and support behind increasing their representation as well as make sure our curriculum better reflects their experiences as well.”

Levac, who is enrolled in the critical practices stream of the visual studies specialist program, agrees, adding BIRD is the kind of program she wishes she'd had.

“As a first-generation student, navigating university programs, services, co-curriculars and choosing the right courses, felt daunting,” says Levac. “BIRD is a great launchpad for participants. We welcome all questions and curiosities about the Daniels faculty and U of T, with the goal of making students feel confident in their application and having a friendly face should they start school here one day.”

To help inspire that future, Levac shares an encouraging message:

"For Indigenous students reading this: You are smart and powerful and we need people like you to join our table of Indigenous teachers, students, leaders and changemakers. Dream big, then bigger.” 

Photo: January 17 launch event

Sat, Mar 28 2026, 11:00am - 4pm
Daniels Building, 1 Spadina Crescent
Main Hall, DA170

Register

Join the community of emerging student leaders, established practitioners and prospective future cohorts exploring their place within art and the built environment as they celebrate five years of BBSD!

This year, we celebrate the five-year anniversary of Building Black Success Through Design (BBSD) — a mentoring and access program for Black high school students interested in architecture and art, offered by the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design. 

Practitioners in landscape architecture (represented by OALA JEDI, the Ontario Association of Landscape Architects Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion committee), planning (represented by Black Planners & Urbanists Association) and architecture (represented by BAIDA, the Black Architects and Interior Designers Association) will participate in a student-led dialogue that builds on themes explored throughout the program. The discussion will then be followed by a Q&A session, offering  the audience an opportunity to engage directly with panelists and peers.

We are pleased to have this year’s panel feature: 

• Ossie Airewele, senior associate, architect, BDP Quadrangle
• Anne-Marie Armstrong, assistant professor, teaching stream, at John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design and principal & co-founder of AAmp Studio
• Zara Brown, associate principal, landscape architect, Arcadis and Chair of OALA JEDI Committee
• Abigail Moriah, founder and planner, The Black Planning Project
• Renée Powell-Hines (MArch 2025), BAIDA executive director and festival coordinator, DesignTO

We invite professionals, educators, students and community members to join us for an afternoon of reciprocal learning, critical reflection and cross-generational exchange. This event celebrates the unique agency fostered from multiple fields of city-building being in the same room and contributes to a growing network of diverse perspectives set to shape the future of design.

Photo by Alice Xue Photography

The University of Toronto ranked first in Canada – and among the top 30 universities worldwide – in all 11 major subject areas tracked in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject 2026.

U of T was one of just six institutions in the world – and the only Canadian university – to achieve a top 30 spot in all of Times Higher Education’s broad subject areas, which range from arts and humanities to engineering and life sciences. The others were the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Cambridge, Harvard University, Stanford University and the University of California, Los Angeles.

The rankings, which evaluate both teaching and research, placed U of T ninth in the world in medical and health – the same spot in the top 10 it has held for the past three years. 

“The University of Toronto’s consistently strong performance in these rankings reflects the outstanding contributions of our faculty, librarians, students and staff,” said U of T President Melanie Woodin.

“It is a testament to their dedication, creativity and excellence across an incredibly broad range of disciplines.

Read the full story at U of T News

The Landscape Architecture Canada Foundation (LACF) has announced recipients of the 2025 National and Regional Scholarships. 

LACF, a national charitable organization, partners with Canadian Society of Landscape Architects (CSLA) component associations, universities and other stakeholders to offer awards. LACF is Canada’s leading source of landscape architecture scholarships.

“These awards celebrate the outstanding efforts of our Daniels students: academic achievement, leadership, creative vision and scholarly research,” said Elise Shelley, program director of the Master of Landscape Architecture. “On behalf of the Daniels Faculty, we wholeheartedly congratulate our LACF scholarship recipients for this recognition."

Charlie-Kaida King is a recipient of the three national scholarships: the LACF BC2 Indigenous Scholarship, LACF Peter Jacobs Indigenous Scholarship and the LACF Peter Klynstra Memorial Scholarship. Kai is a status Mi’kmaq person originally from St. John’s Newfoundland. He is now in the second year of the MLA program at the Daniels Faculty, and the first Indigenous MLA student. Previously, Kai earned both a degree in psychology-folklore at Memorial University, and a Bachelor of Technology–Landscape Architecture at Dalhousie. Kai is dedicated to integrating Indigenous Heritage and Traditional Knowledge in landscape architecture and has also stepped up as a class representative within his program. Kai finds inspiration in the Newfoundland landscape and plans to return to Atlantic Canada in practice.

Benjamin Dunn received the regional LACF University of Toronto MLA Scholarship. Benjamin's research, design, and community work have been guided by a simple desire to leave things better than they were before. Studying landscape architecture because it gives him an outlet to do exactly that. The field allows him to weave together his interests in human well-being, environmental design and community engagement into an applied and meaningful vocation. 

Kiana Rezvani Baghae received the regional LACF Maglin/University of Toronto Scholarship. Kiana's undergraduate interests in Environmental Design at OCAD University are now expanded in MLA studies at Daniels. Her courses have taught her the importance of preservation and revitalization of degraded ecologies and ecosystems, in order to develop gradients that can meaningfully connect different environments. To practice landscape architecture today is to navigate a world in urgent need of unity: between people and land, between systems and stories. 

Orly Sacke received the regional LACF/Lemay Scholarship. Growing up in Toronto, Orly has always been captivated by the city as a palimpsest of complicated landscapes: transit expansion overhauls how people move; the conceptual ‘100-year storm’ becomes meaningless given its frequency and intensity. As landscape architects gain momentum as city builders, substantive landscape change and indeterminacy become design opportunities. 

Visit the LCAF scholars page for the full announcements and list of scholars.

The John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design at the University of Toronto presents its Winter 2026 Public Program.

This semester’s program of lectures, exhibitions and screenings features leading global thinkers and practitioners working across the built and natural environments, contemporary visual art and curatorial practice. 

The program explores themes such as innovative material use and the changing relationships among designers, builders, craftspeople, interactive technologies and AI. It also highlights regional ecologies and decolonizing practices in landscape, urban design, and housing—from Inuit Nunangat to the Middle East—and considers how messiness, imagination and cultural generosity can shape art and design in the public realm.

All events in the series are free and open to the public. Register in advance and consult this listing for up-to-date details. Many events will be livestreamed or recorded and made available on the Daniels Faculty YouTube channel.

Register

Thursday evening lecture series

All times ET (Eastern Time) 

January 22, 6:30 p.m.  |  Exhibition opens, 5:30 p.m.
Jeffrey Cook Memorial Lecture: A Measure of Architecture
Featuring Pierre Bidaud (The Stonemasonry Company), Amin Taha (GROUPWORK) and Steve Webb (Webb Yates Engineers)

January 29,  6:30 p.m.
The Annual George Baird Lecture
Building a Planetary Solution: Regenerative Design and Construction for the Future of Human Settlement
Featuring Alan Organschi (GOA, Yale School of Architecture)

February 12, 6:30 p.m.
Undisciplined: Conversations across Architectural Knowledge Domains
Symposium keynote lecture by Theodora Vardouli (McGill University) and Daniel Cardoso Llach (Carnegie Mellon University)

February 26, 6:30 p.m.  |  Exhibition opens, 5:00 p.m.
Unruly Intelligences: Body, Tools, AI
Featuring Humbi Song (University of Toronto, Daniels Faculty)

March 5, 6:30 p.m.
2026 Michael Hough/OALA Visiting Critic in Landscape Architecture Lecture
Unravelling a colonial Legacy: Grounding landscape architecture 
Featuring Dr. Jala Makhzoumi, (International Federation of Landscape Architects, Middle East)

March 12, 6:30 p.m. 
The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces
Screening and Panel Discussion

March 19, 6:30 p.m. 
Land Narratives & Protopian Futures: From Fictions to the Just City
Featuring Toni L. Griffin (urban american city)

March 26, 6:30 p.m. 
The Harold Solomon Kaplan Lecture: Public Act
Featuring Peter Sampson and Liz Wreford (Public City)

Symposia

January 16, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Sikumit Aisimajugut
At Home on Ice - ᓯᑯᒥᑦ ᐊᐃᓯᒪᔪᒍᑦ Roundtable
Organized by Mason White (Daniels Faculty, University of Toronto) and Lola Sheppard (University of Waterloo)

February 11-12, All Day
Undisciplined: Conversations across Architectural Knowledge Domains
Organized by Ameen Ahmed, Mono Mo, Brian Slocum, and the Daniels Faculty ALD PhD Program

• Keynote lecture by Theodora Vardouli (McGill University) and Daniel Cardoso Llach (Carnegie Mellon University): February 12, 6:30 p.m. 

Visual Studies public lectures

Learn More

January 20, 6:30 p.m. 
Allison Glenn
Curator, 2026 Toronto Biennial of Art

January 27, 6:30 p.m. 
Liam Gillick
Artist

February 25, 6:30 p.m. 
Aimée Zito Lema
Artist

March 3, 6:30 p.m. 
CANCELLED Defne Ayas
Curator, Director of the Van Abbemuseum

March 10, 6:30 p.m.
Lucy Raven
Artist
In partnership with the Vega Foundation and the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery

March 24, 6:30pm ET
Juliet Kothe
Curator
In partnership with OCAD University

March 31, 6:30 p.m. 
Alexandre Singh
Artist and Filmmaker

Exhibitions at 1 Spadina Crescent

December 9, 2025—February 16
Sikumit Aisimajugut
At Home on Ice - ᓯᑯᒥᑦ ᐊᐃᓯᒪᔪᒍᑦ
Larry Wayne Richards Gallery (DA196)

• Roundtable event: January 16, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. 

January 23—April 3
The New Stone Age: Towards an Ethical Architecture
Architecture + Design Gallery (DA095)

• Opening event: January 22, 5:00 p.m. / Lecture at 6:30 p.m. 

February 26—March 27
Unruly Intelligences: Body, Tools, AI
Larry Wayne Richards Gallery (DA196)

• Opening event: February 26, 5:00 p.m. / Lecture at 6:30 p.m. 

Gallery Hours of Operation
Monday to Friday: 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday: Closed