Metro Toronto writer Luke Simcoe asks “Why do condo towers in Toronto all look the same?”

The reason, says Daniels Faculty Lecturer and architectural historian and critic Hans Ibelings, who Simcoe spoke to in pursuit of an answer, has to do with the real estate market, which views condos as financial investments rather than homes.

Ibelings and Daniels Faculty Lecturer Alex Josephson, explored Toronto’s ubiquitous glass towers in their book Rise and Sprawl: The Condominiumization of Toronto.

Writes Simcoe:

Ibelings’s motto is that “there’s a solution to everything” and the latter half of the book lays out 11 options for adding diversity to Toronto’s skyline.

Among them are suggestions to eliminate condo balconies, add more public housing to condominiums, financial incentives for better design and a call to “play” with the podiums at the foot of tall buildings.
 

Read the full article in Metro Toronto.

For more information on Rise and Sprawl: The Condominiumization of Toronto, visit the architecture observer.

Ibelings is the author of a number of books, including European Architecture Since 1890 (2011), published in English, Dutch, German, and Russian, and Supermodernism: Architecture in the Age of Globalization (1998 and 2003), published in English, Dutch, Spanish, French, and Italian.

Alumna Monica Adair (MArch 2005) was recently profiled in the Toronto Star as one of two emerging architects who are “turning heads in the profession.” The article highlights the difficulty that talented practicing architects under 40 have in winning large, prestigious projects, compared to year's past.

“Richard Sommer, dean of the Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design at U of T, says a pervasive risk aversion has set in among institutional clients and their banking backers in this country,” writes Joseph Hall. “That attitude sends most Habitat or Science-Centre-scale works to rock star architects or established, major firms.”

Adair discussed similar issues in an interview with Daily Commercial News last month after serving as a presenter at the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada's 2016 Festival of Architecture in Nanaimo, B.C.

Earlier this year, Adair and partner Stephen Kopp (MArch 2005) were featured in an article in Huddle about balancing both work and home life. Adair admits that sometimes it’s not always possible to achieve a balance, so she and Kopp changed their perspective on their experience with an overwhelming workload.

“If we don’t think of life as a balance but think of it as a timeline of what you want to remember in this world; we’re trying to focus on making sure that those things are fulfilled and important and we’ll find ways around that to make that happen,” Adair told Cara Smith.

Two weeks ago, an group of architects and artists came together for the Building Museums: Building Cities (Part 2) panel discussion at the Art Museum; among them were Daniels Faculty alumni Adrian Blackwell (MUD 2002) and Shirley Blumberg (BArch 1976), as well as Dean Richard Sommer. Other panelists included French architect Eric Lapierre, Charles Renfro of New York-based Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and Paris-based writer and critic Philippe Trétiack. The panel was introduced by Associate Professor Barbara Fischer.

The discussion centred on the changing museum culture in light of international development and its effect on urban renewal and gentrification. Part 1 of the Building Museums: Building Cities events, which took place last year, considered Toronto’s recent cultural building revival, the surge of large capital projects, and the renewals of museum spaces currently developing across Canada.

This year’s event was recently covered by U of T News: “Imagine Toronto without the Royal Ontario Museum or the Art Gallery of Ontario,” writes Romi Levine. “The ROM’s Lee-Chin Crystal and Frank Gehry’s long glass and wood façade at the AGO have reached iconic status in the city – and Toronto would feel emptier without them. The buildings themselves have become as important as the artifacts they house.”

As Levine writes, attendees of the event included students, alumni, and professionals in the architecture and curatorial fields. “For attendee Cynthia Roberts, who holds a Masters of Museum Studies from U of T, the event highlighted the importance of talking about art and architecture so that decision makers are aware of its importance and the need for funding."

The event was organized by Fischer and the staff of the Art Museum at the University of Toronto, and was a joint initiative between the Art Museum and the French Consulate of Toronto with additional support by the Institut français.

For the full article, visit the U of T News website.

Current MArch student Evan Wakelin created architectural collages for his thesis research project that represent the emotional and physical experience of migration. The illustrations were recently featured in Dezeen — an online magazine dedicated to showcasing architecture, design, and interior projects from around the world.

"The drawings illustrate hypothetical migrations to the city, whereby the original home of the migrant is layered with their current home within the city of Toronto," explains Wakelin in his thesis research paper. "This intersection of past and present, over different geographical locations, describes a divided identity where the sense of belonging and sentiment exist somewhere in between."

“In the drawings, elements of architecture and interior design that evoke particular residential styles are stacked and presented in section,” writes Dezeen's Alyn Griffiths. “Like dolls' houses, they offer an insight into the past lives of the occupants.”

Wakelin has previously created other architectural imagery; his illustrations printed on various accessories are available for purchase from Society6.

The Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) have named Denegri Bessai Studio — the firm of Daniels Faculty Lecturer Maria Denegri and Assistant Professor Tom Bessai — Best Emerging Practice as part of its annual OAA Awards.

The Best Emerging Practice award recognizes "the contribution of young firms that have been in practice for five years or less and demonstrate a clear vision, well-articulated goals and proven effective strategies that provide a competitive advantage."

Duncan Sabiston (MArch 2014), pictured with Denegri and Bessai above, is also part of the firm.

Toon Dreessen, President of the OAA, says the Denegri Bessai Studio is to be commended “for its commitment to pushing the boundary of cutting edge, experimental architecture in Canada."

"With each project, the studio strives to innovate and, in the process, uncovers new techniques and finds new uses for cutting-edge technologies," says Dreessen. "As one of our jury members noted: 'a firm showing such commitment to the exploration of new ideas, with such excitement and enthusiasm, will always be able to distinguish itself as new and emerging.’ Additionally, the firm embraces new avenues in business, creating a niche market for their talent that sets them apart.”

This isn't the first time the OAA has commended Denegri and Bessai. Last year the firm received recognition in the “Concepts” category of the OAA Awards for “Dancing Cubbies,” designed for Huron Public School in Toronto.

Last summer, the OAA highlighted panAMaze a temporary installation design by Denegri Bessai for the International Plaza of the Athletes’ Villiage built for 2015 Pan-Am Games in Toronto.

Denegri Bessai Studio has also been recognized in local media in the recent past. In 2014, the firm was featured in the summer issue of Designlines magazine, which highlighted many of the daring ideas they bring to small living spaces. Likewise, the Globe and Mail commended Denegri Bessai for the imaginative and innovative ways it has made small downtown living spaces appear large.

Writes Mike Doherty in Designlines, Denegri and Bessai "consider themselves 'translators' who bring ideas from academia into the domestic sphere. Their Annex studio features a fabrication laboratory (nicknamed the FabLab) full of quizzical objects that recall boomerangs, paper planes and alien artefacts." Pictured above is Mangrove Structure, an installation completed for the Design Exchange's pop up exhibition at 363 King St. W. last spring.

This backyard project, which tackled the design of a small outdoor living space in the city by creating a courtyard between a house and garage was also profiled in the Globe and Mail.

As part of their research, Denegri and Bessai study the role of computation in architecture and design, and present regularly at conferences and forums.

The OAA will present its awards at a Celebration of Excellence Awards Ceremony & Dinner on May 13.

Alumna Erika DeFreitas (MVS 2008) is the recipient of the $5000 Finalist Artist Prize from the Toronto Friends of the Visual Arts (TFVA).

“It is such an honor to be a finalist among so many inspiring cultural producers,” says DeFreitas of the announcement.

As a Toronto-based multidisciplinary conceptual artist, DeFreitas explores the influence of language, loss and culture on the formation of identity through public intervention, textile-based works, and performative actions that are photographed, placing an emphasis on process, gesture and documentation. Her work was included in the recent exhibition Rehearsal for Objects Lie on a Table at UofT’s Art Museum.

Toronto Friends of the Visual Arts is an independent non-profit organization founded in 1998. The organization gives financial support to the visual arts in the greater Toronto area and provides an educational program for its members. TFVA has now given $555,000 to the GTA arts community since its inception. This year, TFVA also awarded artists Miai Sutnik, vsvsvs (a seven person collective), Bridget Moser, Zun Lee, Showroom (an exhibition at the Art Museum), Chroma Lives (an exhibition and research project by Erin Alexa Freedman and Lili Huston-Herterich), and Vtape (an arts space co-founded by Professor Lisa Steele and Associate Professor Kim Tomczak).