The Daniels Faculty’s former building at 230 College Street is now being renovated to become the home of U of T’s student union — but the its Green Roof Innovation Testing Laboratory on the rooftop, remains in full swing. We spoke to Master of Landscape Architecture students Catherine Howell and Hadi El-Shayeb about their experience working at the GRIT Lab this summer and the plans to launch a second site on the roof of the Faculty's new home at One Spadina Crescent.

How did you become involved with the GRIT Lab?
Catherine: The GRIT Lab was one of the main drivers for me to come to Daniels. I did my undergraduate degree in health studies at Queen’s and when figuring out what to do next, I saw the GRIT Lab website and thought, “this is so cool!” It was an interesting facet of landscape architecture and architecture that I had never heard of before. I had it in the back of my head that I wanted to help out in some way. I had Liat Margolis as a professor in first year, and she was very inspiring. The opportunity to work alongside Liat, while playing an active role in the green infrastructure movement, has made for an extremely engaging summer thus far.  

Hadi: I’ll be starting the Master of Landscape Architecture program in September. I did my undergraduate degree in Planning at the University of Waterloo, and a lot of my research was on climate change adaptation. I also worked for the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change as a Policy Intern on renewable energies, and attended the COP22 Marrakech the UN Climate Change Summit that happened in Morocco last November. The GRIT Lab was very interesting to me because green roofs are an opportunity to adapt to climate change. I messaged a few professors, including Liat, and thankfully she responded to me and added me onto the project. I have always been interested in landscape architecture and its role in ecological design. I’m really interested in environmental and climate change adaptation. GRIT Lab is a subset of that.

What are your responsibilities at the Lab?
C: We’re the “nine to fivers,” the Lab Managers and Research Assistants, so we have to be surface-level experts in everything, from electrical wiring to coding to sensors. The GRIT Lab is a system: it includes physical inputs, such as sunlight and water; the sensors that monitor factors such as rainfall, soil moisture, and water retention; a computer; and then the production of infographics that demonstrate these processes. We have to understand all levels of that process. We also have to help coordinate a number of people who are doing research here, including undergraduate, masters, and PHD engineering students. We need to make sure they’re happy with the data being collected, troubleshoot broken sensors, and so on. We’re also working on articles for publication that summarize GRIT Lab research so that it is understandable to the general public.

Sedum planting | Photo by Josie Harrison

And what has some of that research found?
C: I’m writing about green roof hydrology and how green roofs hold onto water. Right now, it’s understood that they can absorb up to 50% of stormwater, but actually with the right combination of plants and soil they can hold onto 70-80%, which is huge. Especially in cities like Toronto where we now have the Green Roof Bylaw, you can really maximize the benefits of your green roof if you know the right combinations. It can function as a low impact development option: if you have enough green roof coverage on your building then you might not have to install any ground water storm management infrastructure like swales or cisterns to meet the wet weather flow standards.

H: One of the articles I’m writing is on growing media, its effect on different performances, and how selecting different media can have different benefits. For example, both mineral-based and compost-based growing media are popular in Canada and Southern Ontario. It is believed that compost-based media compacts and loses organic content over time, but our studies show that it doesn’t actually do that, and, additionally, it can absorb about three times more water than mineral-based meda.

meadow planting | Photo by Josie Harrison

C: I’m also writing about bees and Sedum versus meadow planting. Right now there is a big push to promote native pollinators in Ontario. It has been shown that native plants attract more native bees, but Sedum, which is not native to this region, is the preferred green roof planting type. It goes to show that we have to carefully consider plant selection on green roofs if we want to promote biodiversity. With more and more greenroofs being built, the plants we choose could have a regional impact on ecological diversity.

What have you learned from your experience working at the GRIT Lab so far?
H: Seeing the technical components put into this green infrastructure has been a big thing for me. The importance of data collection and the nitty gritty details has been eye-opening. I’ve learned that there is a strong need to collect all the data to improve our systems.

C: I was surprised by how varied green roofs can be, and how the variables (planting type, depth, soil, irrigation type) can have different outcomes. I thought it would be pretty simple, like you can spread out a mat of Sedum and call it a day. But not all green roofs are created equal and you need to figure out the location, the size, and what you want your main objective to be to design one properly. Consciously designing green roofs is incredibly important for maximum effectiveness.

Catherine Howell looking south down Spadina Avenue from the roof of One Spadina. PhD student Omar Bawab is helping develop plans for a second site of the GRIT Lab over the summer | Photo by Josie Harrison

How will the GRIT Lab expand its research at One Spadina?
C: There is a giant cistern underneath One Spadina that holds all the rainwater that falls on the property. They want to use the grey water from the cistern to irrigate the green roof. We need to test the quality of that water and how it will affect the various plants on the roof. There will be quite a lot of urban contaminants, including salt from de-icing the walkways. I’m curious to see the results from that, whether the water will need to be treated or not.

H: Omar Bawab is an international PhD student here on a global exchange program, to help develop the plans for the green roof testing beds at One Spadina. He has a lot of experience with green roofs and particularly connected cisterns for water collection, which is the main purpose for building this roof. Catherine and I will be helping him draft the visual representation for the project.

GRIT Lab student researchers, from left to right: Redwan Baba & Diego Domingo, undergraduate students, Civil Engineering; Catherine Howell, MLA; Eric Wang, undergraduate student, Civil Engineering; Hadi El-Shayeb, MLA; Marisa Fryer, graduate student, Civil Engineering | Photo by Josie Harrison

How do you think your experience this summer will influence your future research or ambitions?
H: One thing I’m finding really interesting is linking the local scale action at the GRIT Lab to global scale policies. We have these huge ambitions to bring down emissions and stop the global average temperature from increasing, but how do we do that at a local scale? I’m interested in the role that landscape architecture can play in this.

C: Learning so much about green roofs as a summer job has really piqued my interest in them. As a landscape architect, I would love green roofs to be a big part of my practice when I start working in the field.

When he graduated in 2015, Jonah Ross-Marrs received the Jackman-Kuwabara Prize, awarded to the student judged to have the most outstanding Master of Architecture thesis of the year. That summer, he won a Pier 9 Artist-in-Residence fellowship at AutoDesk in San Francisco. How’s life a year after graduation? Honours Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies student Josie Northern Harrison (HBA 2017) caught up with Ross-Marrs over email to find out how his time at U of T has helped prepare him for future work in computation and architecture — and how he plans to expand on his thesis this Fall as a new student in the Master of Science in Architecture Studies (SMArchS) in Computation at MIT.

What inspired you to study architecture at the Daniels Faculty?
After completing an undergraduate degree in History, I wanted to study something tangible that would give me a foothold in the professional world. I was inspired by the models and diagrams on the walls of the architecture department at McGill University and felt I would be more at home in such an environment. I thought architecture might be an opportunity to build on my hobby of making electro-mechanical things and bring my creative work into a more formal academic environment.

I decided to study at Daniels because of the accomplished faculty. I liked the diversity of professors and felt the reputation of the school would help me in my career. I also felt that living in a large urban center would be a good supplement to my studies.

When did you first start experimenting with open source software?
I have been interested in electronics since the mid-1990s, when I began building simple solar-powered robots from e-waste. My interest was sparked by the magic of tiny, intricate mechanisms coming to life when charged with electricity. When Arduino (an accessible type of open-source hardware and software) was released, it allowed a whole group of people like myself access to microchips (mini reprogrammable electronic brains) that was previously unavailable. Once I was familiar with Arduino, it was a natural progression to make Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) machines.

How did studying at the University of Toronto influence your work?
Every design studio was, for me, life-changing and extremely challenging. I wasn’t sure I would continue on the traditional path of a practicing architect, so I used the courses I took as opportunities to develop my own creative method. I began to develop a creative process and learned that my strengths were in visual communication. I also learned to work within a highly critical environment and to accept criticism of my work. Studying design changed my view of making and made me aspire to higher ideals and have a greater appreciation for the context of my work.

Living in Toronto, I had access to valuable resources needed for experiments with custom CNC tooling. Active Surplus, Jacob’s Hardware, Above All Electronic Surplus, Hacklab.To, and other communities were crucial assets to my projects.

The Mini CNC Foam Cutter tutorial that you posted on Instructableshas been very successful (with ~42,000 views and ~500 favorites). Will you continue to contribute to the open source/hardware hacking community?
I have published a few more Instructables since the Mini CNC Foam Cutter and hope to get feedback from the community about the value of these projects. I hope to meaningfully contribute to the open-source community because I build on projects created by my peers as prime resources for my investigations. For the open-source hardware community in particular, I would like to continue to develop a series of mini CNC machines that work with different materials and use e-waste components in different ways.

What was it like being an Artist-in-Residence at the Autodesk Pier 9?
The Autodesk Artist-in-Residence Program was an excellent opportunity to interact with the programmers who develop software used by designers, and to gain access to cutting edge fabrication technologies. It was also an opportunity to meet incredibly talented designers and artists from around the world and learn from their practices. The San Francisco tech scene in general is extremely stimulating and full of intelligent and entrepreneurial individuals.

What did you create for the residency?
My project captured a moment that is normally lost in the process of printing a 3D model. When a computer prepares a 3D model for printing, it rebuilds the model out of triangles (i.e. translates the model into triangles) before virtually slicing the model into layers for the 3D printer to interpret. This first triangulation step is called the meshing process. I printed each component of this translation process separately in the order they have been rebuilt by the meshing algorithm. This was done with various input models: a house, a car, a washing machine, or a pencil sharpener. The results visualize the work of the meshing algorithms, providing a behind-the-scenes look into an almost instantaneous computer process that designers interact with every day but would never experience spatially. The potential of the project is in the way it can analyze and compare the behavior of different algorithms designed to do the same task in a kind of visual short-hand.

Do you hope to expand on the work you did for your MArch thesis in the SMArchS program in Computation at MIT?
At MIT, I hope to continue exploring my MArch thesis project and follow it wherever it leads me while challenging myself to increase my skill level in programming languages. Most of all, I hope to meet others in my field and learn from them, hopefully allowing myself to evolve and develop new insights.

Do you have any advice for students starting their Masters of Architecture degree next year?
I would suggest attending the guest lectures as they are a valuable opportunity to get insight into the design process and various strategies of presenting work. I think maintaining an interest in extra-architecture subjects is important because of the nature of inspiration. Connected with this, I think it is important to find ways to maintain a balanced lifestyle throughout the degree.

cheyanne turions (MVS 2016) had already established a name for herself as a curator before beginning her Masters of Visual Studies in Curatorial Studies at the Daniels Faculty. With exhibitions in artist-run centres and arts organizations across Canada — including Art Metropole in Toronto, the Western Front in Vancouver, and SBC Gallery in Montréal — her work has been recognized as “highly considered and articulated” as well as “relevant, provocative, risky, and ambitious.” In 2015, she received the Award for Emerging Curator of Contemporary Canadian Art from the Hnatyshyn Foundation and TD Band Group, and the Reesa Greenberg Curatorial Studies Award. Honours Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies student Josie Northern Harrison (HBA 2017) caught up with turions to learn about her most recent role as Artistic Director for Trinity Square Video, the experiences she gained while studying at the Daniels Faculty, and the role of art and artists in “working toward a decolonized, Indigenized future.”

You completed your Bachelors Degree in Philosophy at UBC. What inspired you to depart from this field and pursue a Master of Visual Studies in Curatorial Studies at U of T?
When I was in school at UBC, I was lucky enough to have a Young Canada Works position over the summer at an artist-run centre called Cineworks. When their Programs Manager left, they invited me to apply for that position, so I ended up working there after I graduated as their Programs Manager and Curator. Art was a way for me to practice philosophy. I could put forward a hypothesis about the world, and the exhibition could test whether the hypothesis meant anything to other people.

I moved to Toronto in 2010, worked here for a couple years, and developed a lot of respect for Barbara Fischer (the Director of the Daniels Faculty’s Master of Visual Studies program in Curatorial Studies). The Daniels Faculty later brought in Charles Stankievech as the Director of the Visual Studies Program, who is also someone that I respect. Through conversations with Barbara and Charles, I realized that the MVS program could be a place for me to continue developing my skills and study with people whose work I admire.

How did your understanding of curation change over the course of the program at U of T?
At the end of the Masters program, you are responsible for producing an exhibition and a complementary writing component. For the exhibition, students in the program partner with one of the university galleries. I had previously worked primarily in an artist-run culture, and this was the first time that I had worked in such a robust bureaucracy. One of the skills I gained was how to negotiate working within much larger institutions.

And university galleries play a different role in the arts community than regular galleries, don’t they?
At university galleries, the connections between exhibitions and knowledge production are more explicit, which you can see through the publishing program at the Art Museum. You can also see the connection between exhibitions and the student body. The Art Museum invites MVS students in to develop exhibitions that are ultimately presented parallel to those that the Art Museum develops as an institution. Because university galleries have rather stable funding, I feel they have an obligation to be radical and experimental with the types of exhibitions that they produce. We’re pretty lucky in Canada to have an art world that’s not intrinsically tied to the art market; we can ask different questions and produce different types of shows.

In your article “Decolonization, Reconciliation, and the Extra-Rational Potential of the Arts” written for ArtsEverywhere, you describe art as a method of “working toward a decolonized, Indigenized future other than through state sponsored and articulated processes of reconciliation.” Could you expand on this? In what ways can art contribute to decolonization?
Art allows us to have strange ideas. It’s a place where propositions can be made that can’t be made in politics or science. It’s a place where we can think differently. The Truth and Reconciliation Report (TRC) was published on behalf of the Canadian State. It was not an Indigenous-led process, and it is, we can generally say, a process that has been developed to ease of the mind of settler Canadians rather than address the trauma that is anchored in Indigenous communities. Art is a place where we can imagine a decolonized future not authored by the Canadian State, and it is important to hold the idea of decolonization in our minds going forward.

Why is it important for artists to take on this role?
If you are doing work or producing scholarship in Canada then you should be engaging with the political realities of this place. The production of art and the making of exhibitions is not neutral. It is important to realize how we perpetuate power relations in our work, and if you think there is something troubling about the way power is distributed in civic society then you should be doing something to counteract that.

What inspired your work in this area?
I grew up in northern Alberta on a farm, where there were a number of reserves close by, and my mom is of Ojibwe heritage. I have always thought a lot about what it means to be of mixed settler and Indigenous heritage. I don’t know how to look at culture in this country and not think about the ways that settler colonialism has impacted upon it.

You are the Director of No Reading After the Internet – a reading group for cultural texts. Could you describe the experience of reading an article aloud to a group? What are the outcomes of this activity?
No Reading After the Internet is an event where we read a cultural text aloud together. There are a couple reasons why it’s structured this way. The first is that it removes a barrier of entry. All you have to do is show up, and we encounter the text together. The other thing is that when people use their voice to read a text out loud, they are more apt to participate in the conversation that follows. One measure of success is whether everyone who came to an event spoke about the text. The nice thing about No Reading is that it de-emphasizes scholarship. We’re all encountering this text for the first time together. It’s much more improvisational than a class at school. It’s not about performing how smart you are; it’s about being curious, and being willing to think with other people. The conversations that come out of this process have been incredibly rich.

In July 2016, you were appointed the interim Artistic Director of Trinity Square Video (TSV). How has TSV contributed to the arts community in Toronto? What has been your vision going into this role?
Trinity Square has been around for over 45 years; it’s one of the oldest media arts, artist-run centres in the country. Its areas of activity revolve around production and presentation. For the creation of the work itself, we have production gear and post-production resources that our members can access. For the presentation of the work, we make exhibitions, coordinate screenings, host talks, and make publications. The production and presentation activities at Trinity Square are closely linked; there is reflexivity between the activities so that they inform one another.

John G. Hampton (MVS 2014), who was also a graduate of the MVS program, was at Trinity Square prior to me. I’m still in the process of realizing the exhibitions that he had put together. Going forward, I’ve been thinking about what it would mean to divest from white supremacy. Is there some way as an institution or as a structure that we can interrupt white supremacy through our work? I feel like the answer has to be yes, but I don’t know how exactly to do that yet, so I’m going to try and figure that out.

Do you have any advice for undergraduates pursuing a degree in Visual Studies from U of T?
I know art students are often encouraged to apply to open calls as a way to get their work seen. I would say that a better way to do this is to ask curators to do studio visits with you. As a curator, a studio visit is the basic unit of research. It is the equivalent to laboratory tests if you’re a scientist. So I would say find a curator that you respect, and ask them to come view your work and give you feedback.

What advice would you offer those considering the Master of Visual Studies in Curatorial Studies program?
Be as curious as possible. Go to as many shows as possible. Just writing a few sentences about every show you see to reflect on what you’ve seen and how you’re interpreting it is an incredible way to be critically present.

Photo, top: Image of exhibition The Fraud that Goes Under the Name of Love at the Audain Gallery. Photo by Blaine Campbell.

By Stacey Gibson
Cross-posted from U of T Magazine

As executive director and CEO of the Gardiner Museum, Kelvin Browne (BArch 1977, MArch 1981) oversees Canada’s national home to ceramics. Here, he talks about making art less intimidating, why contemporary Japanese ceramics are so amazing, and the joys (and frustrations!) of making his very own mug.

What do you do?
I oversee the museum’s operations, including finances, security, maintenance and marketing. I’m chief curator, although I rely heavily on our wonderful curators and people who manage the exhibits and collection. I also fundraise.

Do you come up with the ideas for exhibits?|
I’m very involved in the selection of the exhibits. I come up with some of the ideas. Our curators come up with others. Many ideas start off in staff meetings and group conversations. We often collaborate with other museums to do shows.

Do you have any exhibits you’d like to mention?
Last year, we did a show with artist Kent Monkman [who is First Nations Cree] called The Rise and Fall of Civilization. I had invited him to do something for us. He came here, looked around and said, “I want to do something about bone china.” Then, he explained how buffalo were killed on the Prairies and the First Peoples whose lives were based on the buffalo almost went extinct, because the buffalo were run over a cliff and the meat was just thrown away and their bones were ground for bone china. It was just an astoundingly beautiful exhibit.

A visit to a museum or gallery can sometimes feel intimidating if you don’t have an education in art. How do you address this for visitors?
I worked at the ROM as head of exhibitions before coming here. I think making the objects accessible is the number one thing you have to do. There are many different ways you can come to care about the objects in the museum. You can like a story about them. You can like the history about them. You can just like the way something looks. You can have a connection from your childhood or your travels, but the museum has to find a way to make a visitor connect to the real object. Otherwise, why are we here? Stuff could be in storage and you could look at things on your computer.

Right now, we have two clay studios downstairs – but we’re also building a new clay studio in the lobby. When you come in, you’ll see people making things. I think for many people, when they go into the galleries, they don’t necessarily appreciate the complexity, both technical and artistic, of the objects. So when you see people making things and then you go in the gallery, it will be a really good way to start your visit.

Your Twitter photo shows you using a pottery wheel. Did you take a Gardiner class in pottery when you started your job?
Yes. I took a class and I was absolutely, utterly hopeless. It’s harder than it looks. Actually, I have the mug that I made on my desk right now.

How did it turn out?
Once they glazed it for me it did look better, but…  It’s a sincere attempt. That’s what I can say. [Laughs]

Are you fairly competent at pottery now?
I’m not and I’m never going to be. But I enjoy it. It’s fun to do a class now and then. However, I’m just staggered that people who have never used clay before, they’ll sit down with it – and all of a sudden, they can make something. It’s true with kids, too. I think they surprise themselves sometimes. For some people, it really is a gift. Once they get clay in their hands, it’s amazing.

You studied architecture at U of T. How does it relate to your work now?
There’s the practical part of it: I understand design, and that’s one of the reasons I like working with exhibits, because I get 3-D. And I get the connection of visual and ideas, and that’s relatively easy for me to do.

What’s your favourite part of the job?
It’s the ability to be creative and to work with staff to make things happen. We’re a small museum, but we’re a successful museum. If we think we’d like to have a speaker here, we can usually do it. Or if we can’t afford it, we can go out and try to raise some money. There’s not a lot of layers of bureaucracy. You can take risks and you can try to reach out to the community and do things differently. I think in bigger places, sometimes you feel – I wouldn’t say powerless, but more constrained or ideas end up just disappearing or becoming watered down.

How do you do reach out to the community?
Our community art space allows different groups to come in and do things that relate in some way to ceramics or creativity. When Kent Monkman had his show here, we worked with a lot of First People’s organizations to bring things to the museum that we thought would help tell a richer story around Kent’s installation. We’re trying to give back about we’re also trying to connect to the community to enrich ourselves.

Do you have a favourite type of ceramic?
[My partner and I] collected Chinese antiquities. I’ve always liked the Han period pieces in China. I also think Japanese contemporary ceramics are some of the most amazing things in the world.

Why?
They’re technically unbelievable. The force of their artistic expression is amazing. They’ve got this tension between a society that is very traditional and rooted in ceramics and yet very, very idiosyncratic artists who are pushing with a vision they have. So many Japanese artists right now I find just extraordinary, just my absolute favourites.

What’s the coolest thing you’ve learned about ceramics since working at the Gardiner?
That everybody can love it. That it can be the most fancy, elitist stuff, but at the same time, school kids can come in and love it, too. It’s universally applicable. Everybody can love clay.

Visit U of T Magazine to view its Winter 2017 issue.

Top: Apparently by Greg Payce, 1999, part of the Gardiner’s holdings of contemporary Canadian ceramics

PULP: paper art party — co-founded by a collective that includes third year Master of Architecture student Rotem Yaniv and Mikael Sydor (MArch 2015) — celebrates it’s 5^th anniversary this year on Saturday, January 14^th. “Devoted to the integration of design, architecture, environmental awareness, and social activity to enhance communities around the city,” the annual event includes live music, art, and a late-night dance party. This year, proceeds raised will be donated to the Yonge Street Mission's Evergreen Centre for Street Youth.

What can we look forward to during this year’s festivities? Rotem Yaniv answered a few of our questions about the evolution the popular paper party and how it has influenced his work as a student.

This will be the fifth year of the PULP paper party. How has the party changed over the years?
We tweak it a bit every year. This year, for example, there are two acts: Art Lounge at 8pm and After Party at 11pm. The idea is to have a relaxed, lit exhibit with live music, food, drink, and dance performances in the earlier part of the evening for art and jazz folk music lovers. We will then dim the lights and let the DJs take over after 11pm, when people looking for a good dance party are likely to show up. Of course, we welcome guests to stay the entire six and a half hours.

Photo: Urban Lights, by Rotem Yaniv at PULP 2016, used materials reclaimed from Daniels Faculty's waste bins after the completion of Super Studio

What are some memorable moments from years past?
Lemon Bucket Orchestra busting through a wall made of colourful cardboard boxes created by ROLLOUT; glowing origami Stalactites that collapsed when you pulled strings by Makeshift Collective; women from Street Haven, a Toronto women’s shelter, working with Luisa Ayala and making an installation that resembles a house, to name a few.

What are you most excited about for this year’s party?
Aleks Bartosik is returning to PULP with a multidisciplinary performance and installation including dance, costume, projections, and live musician; BD Studio is returning with their folded paper lattice technique; Susie Shower is bringing 5 overhead projectors to make an interactive environment; Mark Francis and Natalia Bakaeva are hanging paper and letting guests tear parts off it… not to mention the live music by Vivienne Wilder and our DJs — Ebony and Wasserman.

Photo: Paper Igloo by MArch students Richard Freeman and Projection Mapping by Kearon Roy Taylor, photo by Dylan Johnston

Your annual paper party is also a fundraiser. So in addition to promoting environmental awareness, you are raising money for organizations such as the Yonge Street Mission Evergreen Centre for Street Involved Youth. How did this initiative come about?
For PULP 2016 artist Ksenija Spasic and the Centre’s Art Director Sharon Abel started working with the youth at the centre. They created an intimate pod out of reclaimed fabric and set it in the middle of the party. The PULP team — Robyn Lewis, Ammar Ijaz, Justin Shin, Mikael Sydor, Pamela Cottrell, and myself — discussed which charity to work with and we agreed that since they are already making an installation they would be perfect. We raised around $1600 and Sharon used the money to start Jubilee Designs at the centre — a summer program that paid the youth fair hourly wages for creating art decors.

What other kind of projects does PULP do?
We do outdoor installations and performances at Summer Solstice and BIG on Bloor Festival. We did an art installation commission for World Wildlife Fund. We also do private event management when we get the chance.

PULP 2015

PULP is also a platform to engage in research on techniques to re-purpose materials that would otherwise be discarded or thrown in the Blue Bin. What sort of things have you learned through this work and how have you applied it?
We can get cardboard tubes for free at Alexanian Carpets but they melt in the rain. We could apply them with a water resistant coating but the recycling process uses water to break materials apart. That means that when we finally throw them out, they may end up in the landfill which would be the exact opposite of what we want. So we wrap them instead in waterproof fabric sleeves that can be easily removed. The idea of separation of materials is following the Cradle to Cradle approach — we encourage artists not to use glues and resins on paper based materials because that ruins their recyclability. We were able to get 7 pavilions made mostly of cardboard stand up in 24 hours of continuous rain and keep them dry and recyclable.

Part of PULP’s mission is to build a community network. Who are some of the groups that you have worked with and how have you collaborated?
The Bloordale Improvement Group, BIA, CIA, the offices of Councillors Bailão and Wong-tam, The Junction BIA, GALDSU, and our own growing network of artists — we are in constant communication with them and I attend community meetings. Community groups provide networking and promotion in return to PULP bringing something new for community members. It is interesting to think of communities as clients and of PULP as architects — we design spaces for a limited time for communities to enjoy.

Contoured Environment by RAW Design and Sea Pod by Ksenija Spasic and Evergreen Centre at PULP 2016, photo by Dylan Johnston

How does your work with PULP influence or enhance your work as a Master of Architecture student and vice versa? Is the focus of your research as a student related to the work you do through PULP?
Last semester I worked with studio instructors Terri Peters and Stephen Verderber on a mental health facility for children. The design included a skate-park, splash pad, and climbing wall, with the ability for inpatients and community artists to paint murals on exterior walls. The idea that inhabitants can own their space by engaging with it is something I keep exploring with this organization.

Anything else you’d like to add?
Please donate to our fundraiser campaign! Evergreen wishes to expand the Jubilee Design program. Individuals who donate over $50 and businesses which donate over $250 will be mentioned in a special list on our website, but you can donate as little as $2. Visit http://pulpartparty.ca/
 

Photo, top: Paper Environment by Aleks Bartosik at PULP 2015, photo by Haley Park

In 2016, the Toronto Star profiled Monica Adair (MArch 2005) among young architects who “have been turning heads in the profession, while Wallpaper listed her firm, Acre Architects, in its list of 20 “breakthrough practices from around the globe.”

How do Adair and her partner at Acre Architects Stephen Kopp (MArch 2005)  — also her husband, and yes they met here at the Daniels Faculty! — continue to achieve recognition and grow their small New Brunswick-based firm in such a competitive field? Master of Architecture student Ilana Hadad sat down with Adair to learn about her unique approach to business and design.

You describe your practice as developing “storied architecture.” What do you mean by that?
Storied Architecture, for us, is about helping people live great stories. It’s a way for architecture to have permanence beyond physical bricks and mortar. You may never see a building, but you may have learned about it. And rather than hear about a beautiful window or a really great façade, we want to hear: “this changed the way we live.” One of the best compliments we’ve ever received about one of our projects came from a client who said “We get along better as a couple.” That is a really big thing. If you can change the way people think, you can change the way they live their lives.

Why is collaboration so important in your practice?
It’s easy to talk about collaboration as a buzzword, but there are so many talented people out there; it’s really about corralling them. Things become richer when you incorporate other people’s skills and talents. Sometimes it feels we’re on the edge of something really great, but then we ask: “where does the frame start?” and we realize that we’re only looking at it relative to our own world. When you start collaborating with other people, you start to see the world through a new lens.  

Canadian Builder’s Quarterly wrote that every year you embark on a non-traditional project or competition to keep sharp. Why is this important to you?
There are few architects in New Brunswick, which limits our dialogue with others in the field, so we want to make sure that we’re not getting complacent or comfortable. Instead, we’ll challenge ourselves by entering a competition or going after a new project. We’re now doing fewer competitions, but pitching more projects. We look for a need and we propose a project for it. Instead of waiting for projects to come, we chase them.

How do you decide which projects to chase?
It’s something that evolves out of relationships. Sometimes I feel like the clients I’m going to be working for in the future are the people I’m just getting to know now. It takes years for people to trust you and to learn what you have to offer. You don’t just start a project. You hone a project. You develop a relationship. Even clients that I have today, like Picaroons Microbrewery — our relationship may have started five years ago, but it’s only now that we really feel like we’re on the same side of the table and asking, “where can we go together?” The owner knows we’re looking after helping him build a successful company.

We also recently broke ground on a wedding retreat outside of Austin, Texas. This was a relationship that started as a business mentor turned friend, turned client. At the end of the day, these meaningful relationships with people who are willing to think big are the grounding for all our projects.

How did it feel to receive the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada's 2015 Young Architect Award?
It’s definitely humbling. I remember we were just moving offices, and I got the letter and I gave it to Stephen and said “can you read this a couple times?” I just didn’t believe it. I’m used to opening letters and saying “oh yeah, we didn’t get accepted.” In life you don’t always get people to validate your work. You’re lucky when you do. So you take it when you get that. It’s really nice.

What do you like about living and working in Saint John?
It’s funny because I’m still getting used to saying that I live in Saint John again. It really is a great place to start and grow a business. It’s full of people that want great things to happen so there is a lot of support. It feels like a family, a great community. I’ve lived in Taiwan and Spain, and I’ve lived in Toronto and New York. I’m open to where the world is going to take me, but for now it’s a beautiful place to grow and we are excited to exercise the potential that Saint John has to offer.

Your first project as a firm was a 100-square-foot patio. What did you learn from that project that you still apply to projects you’re doing today?
The importance of good-quality craftsmanship. The patio was temporary, built to come down every year and get thrown in the back of a shed for the winter. If it hadn’t been built properly, the first year they took it down would have been the end of it. It wouldn’t have gotten published the next year. It wouldn’t have ended up in “top places to kiss in Saint John.” If you want something to last, you have to build the care to make it last.

We also learned that small projects are as important as big projects. A small project is still somebody’s dream. It’s still important to their business. So treating small projects with the same value, regardless of the scale, is important.

How did your time at U of T help inform the work you are doing today?
I loved architecture school. I think as a student you don’t realize it, but the stuff that you do in school stays with you forever. And it touches other people. If you work really hard on one project, that project will influence all your other projects forever. Your thesis work follows you. It’s part of who you are. I’m proud to be an alumna here.

Do you have any advice for current students?
Don’t be entitled; be engaged. Entitlement kills creativity. Engagement, in a way, is the opposite. It says that you’re willing to make a contribution and listen to the people around you and hear what they have to offer. It’s an active position versus a passive one. Be open to the world. See what it has to offer. Be open to be perpetually learning.

Image credits, top to bottom:

1:  Into the Wild. Saint John, NB | Photo by Mark Hemmings 
2: The Centennial. St. Andrews, NB | Photo by Sean McGrath
3: Tinkers Orchard, Kingston Peninsula, New Brunswick | photo by Mark Hemmings
4: LeParc - Petanque. Part of Third Shift Sait John, NB | Photo by Mark Hemmings

It is pretty rare for three stellar students to be hired by one office, but within weeks of their final day of reviews, Master of Landscape Architecture students Nicholas Gosselin, Jordan Duke, and Dayne Roy-Caldwell found themselves working together for Janet Rosenberg, one of Toronto’s most prominent Landscape Architects. Over the past three years, the MLA class of ’16 has developed a reputation for its tight dynamic. As the Daniels Faculty gears up for convocation on June 16^th, the three soon-to-be graduates and their new boss told us about the transition from school to work, the importance of developing close friendships while in grad school, and the need to foster passion and leadership within the field.

You were part of a really close-knit class. What impact did that have on your experience at school?

Dayne Roy-Caldwell: Our class was always very open. If someone sitting across from you was having trouble with something, then you would take the five to ten minutes to help them figure it out. The next time you were having trouble with something then they would be the first one there helping you.

Jordan Duke: Being close and working collaboratively constantly elevated everyone’s skill level.

DRC: We were always competitive with each other, but in a very healthy way.

JD: Like sibling rivalry.

Nicholas Gosselin: We wanted to do well just as much as we wanted each other to succeed. This was reflected in a variety of ways, such as not having to ask anyone to take notes for you during a review because they would automatically do it for you. Those kinds of things are rare.

JD: Alissa North, our program director, always told us that you can really tell which people were involved in collaboration. Their work just got steadily stronger.

The landscape architecture program at the Daniels Faculty is a three-year degree. Was there a particular project during your time here that changed how you viewed the field over the course of your studies?

DRC: For me it was a second year project, which involved developing a submission for the Uxbridge Gravel Pit competition. A representative from the gravel pit came to our class to tell us what they were looking for, and said “Please, no more golf courses.” Nicolas and I looked at each other and said, “we’re going do a golf course like they’ve never seen before.” Our project wasn’t about designing a golf course for permanent use. Instead, we envisioned a golf course that would be a source of revenue for the remediation of the site over time, so that the land could be completely returned to the Oak Ridges Marine. The project involved thinking over a much larger time span, which is needed when you’re designing with landscape.

NG: I also loved our third year studio, which was based in Georgian Bay. I have a cottage there, and it forced me to consider it through a totally different lens. The studio involved us projecting future conditions, such as water levels, invasive species, and the impact of climate change. It helped us understand large-scale processes that affect a region and the difference you can make with small interventions.

JD: I had the same realization during what we called our “bee course,” (Contemporary Issues in the Urban Landscape). You could design something hyper-specific and then deploy it across a landscape. Those hyper-specific objects would then interplay with larger processes. I carried that idea through to my thesis.

What will you miss most about being a student at the Daniels Faculty?

JD: The studio culture.

NG: My classmates and the constant sound of laughter.

DRC: I’ll miss those late-nights and days with everyone in studio because we were all close friends.

JD: We used to goof around a lot. We were probably the only class that got told to shut up four or five times a week by the other groups.

What has the transition from school to work been like?

NG: It’s a whole different skill-set that we’re using. In the office, we are very specific about plants, materials and details, which is a transition in scale from the one we typically explored while at school. U of T prepared us to be critical thinkers, leaders, innovators, and fast learners. Janet’s office is great because everyone here knows where we’re coming from and we’re assigned a mentor who knows our skill sets.

Janet Rosenberg: We love the U of T students that join our firm! But there is a lot of learning that starts after graduation. You get much more site experience and, through that, learn about the seasonality involved in the profession. I don’t think there are that many professions that are still so incredibly responsive to the seasons, which forces you to cede some control and respond to different and often unexpected conditions.

What advice do you have for people who are starting their degree in September?

JD: Start making friends and try to bring the class together right away. Go out for dinner; spend time together. Being friends with your classmates will make a world of difference as far as making grad school an enjoyable experience.

NG: In your studios, you’ll start to develop a system in terms of how you approach a project. Sometimes it becomes comfortable, but don’t be afraid to try something new and have those moments where you’re like: I have no idea what I’m going to do. A lot of times, that’s how you end up with the best results. Don’t be afraid to totally venture in a new direction.

JR: It’s a really broad profession and you should really explore the breadth of it before deciding where you want to sit within it. There’s been more growth in the landscape architecture than I think in most professions, especially with environmental elements such as brown fields and green standards.

Janet, as someone who has worked with a lot of new graduates and is a seasoned professional, what advice would you have for someone who is just starting out after graduation?

JR: I think its important to recognize that landscape architecture is a very young profession, and it really needs advocates to dig in a little bit and take responsibility for how the profession is going. There is lots of room for leadership. Graduates should feel very proud about working within the field of landscape architecture and become advocates for it. Passion is really important, because I think passion really drives the industry. And it’s through your passion that you’ll be able to connect with people all around the world.

What would you say are the strengths of the students you work with from our program?

JR: U of T students are really smart. They’re educated; they’re able to have conversations; you can send them out to meetings. They have a thirst to fill in all those blanks that don’t always get filled in. We’ve had people who don’t want to fill in those blanks. They want to do standard details; they don’t want to think; they don’t want to talk; they don’t want to be collaborative. Everybody here gets excited — they ask to do design competitions, which we do.

So, Jordan, Dayne, and Nicholas, how will you celebrate convocation on June 16^th?

DRC: My mom asked me this question last night, and I thought, because we’re all such close friends and none of our parents have met, perhaps we should all just get together. In some ways, these guys know me more than friends I’ve had for years because we’ve been through a lot together.

JR: It’s a real celebration, isn’t it? Somebody has to have a party. Someone’s parents have to say: everyone come over!

The Daniels Faculty would like to thank Janet Rosenberg & Studio for the generous gift commitment the firm has made to the University of Toronto’s campaign for One Spadina Crescent. The gift will contribute to the Faculty’s international credentials in landscape research, education, and practice, particularly in addressing today’s challenges in ecological urbanism and sustainability.

It’s not common for undergraduate students studying architecture to get a job in the field after their first year of study, but Nicole Orofino, who 10 years later on June 16 will graduate from the Daniels Faculty’s Master of Architecture Program, did just that. Having seized the opportunity to travel to Singapore and Holland while completing her degrees, Orofino is now working in the Netherlands at the European Headquarters of Nike. Orofino chatted with Honours Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies student Josie Harrison (HBA 2017) about the value of travel and networking, and how she plans to celebrate her convocation from U of T.   

You started working after the first year of your undergraduate degree — how did you get a start in the professional world at such an early stage in your education?

Before starting my degree, I worked for a low-rise residential developer in the suburbs of Toronto as an on-site administrator. When I told my supervisor that I was pursuing a career in architecture and looking for work experience at a firm, they were good enough to refer me to an architecture firm they were working with at the time (Quadrangle Architects). This led to an interview and review of my initial portfolio. I ended up working for Quadrangle that summer and continued on part-time into the school year. I’ve found that in many cases, if you reach out to your network, and let people know what you’re looking for, they will try to help you.

Do you think that work experience gave you a different perspective during your studio courses in your undergrad and masters?

Absolutely. It was a challenge in the beginning. In studio, at school, you focus more on ideation and the concepts that drive a project. The thinking process that we’re afforded in school is different from the professional world. The professional world has a very systematic approach — design is completed in phases, and projects are realized through construction schedules that involve a number of different people and teams. The studio is more flexible. You have the time and capacity to explore different concepts and imagine new possibilities, based on your own intent.

How did studying in Toronto influence your experience as a student of architecture?

Toronto is incredibly inspirational and makes studying architecture at U of T really exciting as the Faculty is located in the heart of city. Being able to experience the cultural diversity, urban renewal and revitalization, circulation patterns, and the change in the built environment really helps to influence design and inspire creativity. As a student, you spend a lot of your time in the studio, and being able to instantly step out into the buzz of the city is one of the many benefits of studying at U of T.

You also spent some time during your degree studying and working abroad. How did this contribute to your experience as a student?

During my undergraduate degree, I went to Singapore for one semester. I chose to go because I thought there would be no better way and time to combine studying with travel. It was an incredibly valuable learning and personal experience. Similarly, I sought international experience three years into my Masters Degree. I took two semesters off, before entering into my thesis term, to work for a creative agency located in The Netherlands. I was interested in working for a creative agency because it is quite different than a typical architectural firm (which I had worked for in the past) with a client list of developers or cities. Agencies focus more on ideation, strategy, and concept creation. I told my thesis prep advisor, Laura Miller, about my desire to pursue international work experience, and she was completely supportive of my decision to take the break, as was the Daniels Faculty’s registrar and assistant dean of students Andrea McGee. Taking a step back and exploring opportunities outside of the degree was the best thing that I could’ve done at the time. By being in Amsterdam and networking, I was able to jump to the position that I’m in now.

Could you describe your current role and a project you have worked on?

I am a Project Manager for Brand Design and Strategic Account functions for Nike, working out of their European headquarters located in The Netherlands. I lead a team of designers and partnered vendors. We are responsible for creating and elevating retail and event spaces within partnered retailers across Western Europe, by creating consumer experiences, bespoke fixture systems, and curated product presentation strategies. We deliver environments that enable Nike to showcase and launch new product and innovation stories. My role is a combination of creative direction, concept creation, design, and management.

Last year, we teamed up with Nike’s Central European team to create an event that would launch the Nike Sneakerboot in Moscow, Russia. My team was responsible for concepting, planning, and creatively directing the five-day-long event, which included scouting the location in the centre of Moscow, designing massive art installations and bespoke fixtures that would showcase the Nike product, and working closely with our partnered vendors in Moscow to deliver an unforgettable experience. We designed programmed light installations, a rainwall that people could walk into, and fixtures made out of ice that held the Nike Sneakerboot. My role as project lead was to work closely with the art director and partnered vendors in Moscow. I was responsible for securing the location, locating the installations within the space, working with production on material choices, over-seeing the production of the fixtures, and ensuring the quality of the completion of the built environment so that the products were shown in the best way possible for media. The project, though successful, tested my skillset, and I was able to learn about processes that I hadn’t been familiar with prior to the event launch.

Do you have any advice for students starting their undergrad or masters?

My advice for undergraduates is to be mindful about your goals. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. You’re here to learn, and to become better. Sometimes, as creatives, we tend to work best under pressure. My advice would be to step back, and think about whether the pressure will help you or hinder you. More often than not, the pressure hinders your imagination, and autopilot sets in — especially in third and fourth year. Try your best to keep the pressure at arms length, so that you can keep the ideas flowing poetically.

My advice for Masters students would be to constantly remind yourself why you started. I cannot emphasize this enough. Keep a reminder somewhere: on your desk, your laptop, or your phone. Reminding yourself why you started will keep you focused. To keep you motivated and inspired, try to travel as much as you can - there is plenty of support given by the Daniels Faculty to travel, like the Global Architecture Program, and the various travel awards available. Lastly, be mindful of a strategy. Take the time to network yourself — this can only benefit you post-grad.

How will you celebrate your convocation?

I will be travelling back to Toronto for convocation. My family has planned a lovely dinner party — my sister and my mom have outdone themselves with the planning. I’m looking forward to spending time with my family — they have supported me fully throughout my degrees. I truly couldn’t have asked for a better support system, and I owe them the world for that, so it’s only fitting that I celebrate this milestone with them.

Thanks to generous donations made by alumni and donors, Daniels Faculty students can apply for grants, fellowships, or scholarships to fund travel and research at sites of interest both within Canada and abroad.

We’ve asked students who received travel awards last year to share their experiences with us. Last week, we heard from Saarinen Balagengatharadilak and Vanessa Abram. Today, we hear from Master of Architecture student Hamza Vora , who spent six weeks conducting research in Casablanca, Marrakesh, and Fez in Morroco, and Tunis in Tunisia with support from the Paul Oberman Graduate Student Endowment Fund.

Why did you decide to go to Casablanca, Marrakesh, Fez, and Tunis, and what did you hope to learn while you were there?
I wanted to study street vendors in North African cities to see the urban condition and context they currently operate in.  I intended to observe the street vendors and public life of the souks (markets) that are still vital part of the old city centres. Morocco and Tunisia both have well preserved and vibrant old city centres where street vendors in the souks are an integral part of daily life.

Tell us about something interesting that you discovered.
I had this idea of authenticity and that the markets would only sell local goods and support the local community. It was a bit shocking to see that majority of the street vendors sold counterfeit goods made in China. This was particularly in the case Tunis. It is a real problem as it has been devastating to the local industries.

How has this travel research opportunity enhanced your academic career?
I got a better understanding of the meaning of public space. It informed some of my decisions for my thesis project. Urban life in these North African cities is very chaotic. It is an organized mess. To comprehend that, you have to experience it first hand.

How will this research inform your future work?
I am still very interested in street vendors and how they contribute to an informal economy. During my research trip I was looking at how they function and negotiate public pace. I still want to continue learning about this and how they contribute to different public spaces.

For more information on Hamza’s research download his report [PDF].

Visit the Current Students section of the Daniels Faculy's website for more information on the travel awards.

Thanks to generous donations made by alumni and donors, Daniels Faculty students can apply for grants, fellowships, or scholarships to fund travel and research at sites of interest both within Canada and abroad. The application deadline for this year is March 2.

We’ve asked students who received travel awards last year to share their experiences with us. Today, we hear from Master of Architecture student Saarinen Balagengatharadilak, who spent a month in London, UK last summer with support from the Paul Oberman Graduate Student Endowment Fund.

What did you hope to learn during your time in London?
I was interested in the range of sensibility that architects and planners bring to building in historic contexts. There’s a magic to some places rooted in a rich culture and history that’s reflected in its buildings and public spaces. I wanted to learn how housing, public amenities, and institutions were being integrated with big infrastructural projects, while preserving the “magic”.

Why did you go to London for this research?
The challenges of building for a growing city are super intense in London. Intensification is tied to big plans about infrastructure and moving the masses. Amongst giant transit and development plans is an old city with some of the most beautiful parks, plazas, and monuments, all delicately woven into a continuous fabric.

While the stakes for building in such a complex system are extremely high, there’s a healthy appetite on the part of the people and city to embrace bold ideas. I thought it would be refreshing to see some of the successes and shortcomings of this mentality.

Tell us about something interesting that you discovered.
There are so many moments when you walk through plazas, over or under bridges, or through or between buildings that make London feel continuous. I’ve grown so accustomed to the way infrastructure divides cities (like Toronto). London provided a good wake up call about the potential of infrastructure to be more integrated with architecture and landscape.

How has this travel research opportunity enhanced your academic career?
It’s given me a host of lessons and experiences to pull from. There’s a spirit of social enterprise in London that feels as important as the thriving commercialism.

There was one particular event I remember joining, which brought out the socio-political potential of public spaces. Two artists joined together in a walk of compassion through London to show solidarity with refugees world-wide. It started off with dozens of journalists, other media, and about 80 or so people at the Royal Academy of Arts.

The walk was a few miles and we stopped in a handful of public plazas. I remember each time we stopped, a crowd of curious spectators gathered and we would suddenly swell to close to two hundred people.

While Ai Weiwei and Anish Kapoor addressed the press, the group engaged in conversation with the people in the plazas. Some even decided to join in the walk. People continued to talk and exchange thoughts all throughout. The fluidity and frequency of public spaces acted as an armature. There was a spirit of hope and conviction in the crowd that seemed to spread naturally as we filled and emptied plazas.

How will this research inform your future work (as a student or otherwise)?
The more time I spent in a park or plaza, the more I became convinced that a place could be as carefully crafted as a building. The most frequented urban projects had an understanding of place relative to everything it sat beside and between. I remember the walk through the view corridors to St. Paul’s as vividly as sitting in the Cathedral garden.

The research, for me, shows the value in intensifying collaborative efforts between the community, city, developers, and design professionals to address sites more cohesively. I’ve grown more optimistic of the potential for more continuous public spaces in our city.

Do you have any tips for students who may be considering applying for a travel grant this year?
If there is something you’re passionate about exploring…put it in words and APPLY!

For more information on Saarinen’s research in London, read his report: Historical Preservation in the Age of Mass Development.

Visit the Current Students section of the Daniels Faculy's website for more information on the travel awards and how to apply.