The John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design at the University of Toronto is excited to present its Fall 2022 public program. Through a series of book talks, panel discussions, lectures and symposia, our aim is to foster meaningful dialogue on the important social, political and environmental challenges confronting our world today. Among the questions raised: How might we create new knowledge and leverage it as a tool for critical reflection and, ultimately, collective change?

Our programs — and the difficult questions that motivate them — address a range of topics that are central to what we do, including design and social justice, art and new media, urban development and housing, and ecology and landscape resilience.

All events are free and open to the public. Register in advance and check the calendar for up-to-date details at daniels.utoronto.ca/events. 

September 15, 6:30 p.m. ET
Gehry Chair Lecture: Marina Tabassum on Architecture of Transition
Featuring Marina Tabassum (2022-2023 Frank Gehry International Visiting Chair in Architectural Design, Daniels Faculty, University of Toronto)
Moderated by Juan Du (Daniels Faculty, University of Toronto)

September 27, 6:30 p.m. ET
Artist Talk
Featuring Montreal-based new-media artist and composer Erin Gee
Moderated by Mitchell Akiyama (Daniels Faculty, University of Toronto)

October 3, 12:30 p.m. ET
Afterall Vol. 53 Launch
Featuring Stan Douglas in conversation with Charles Stankievech (Daniels Faculty, University of Toronto)

October 5, 12:30 p.m. ET
Site Constructed: Alvar Aalto, Luis Barragan
Featuring Marc Treib (College of Environmental Design, University of California at Berkeley)
Moderated by Georges Farhat (Daniels Faculty, University of Toronto)

October 6, 6:30 p.m. ET
Serious Fun: The Landscapes of Claude Cormier
Featuring Claude Cormier (Claude Cormier + Associés, Montreal) with Susan Herrington (School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, University of British Columbia) and Marc Treib (College of Environmental Design, University of California at Berkeley)
Moderated by Elise Shelley (Daniels Faculty, University of Toronto)

October 20, 6:30 p.m. ET
Housing Multitudes: Reimagining the Landscapes of Suburbia
Exhibition Opening
Conceived and curated by Richard Sommer (Daniels Faculty, University of Toronto) and Michael Piper (Daniels Faculty, University of Toronto) in collaboration with Daniels Faculty colleagues, students and others

October 27, 6:30 p.m. ET
Hough Lecture: Dilip da Cunha on Ocean of Wetness: Where Design Begins
Featuring Dilip da Cunha (Michael Hough/OALA Visiting Critic in Landscape Architecture)
Moderated by Elise Shelley (Daniels Faculty, University of Toronto)
 
November 3, 6:30 p.m. ET
A Retrofitting Suburbia Agenda for Equity, Health and Resilience to Climate Change
Featuring June Williamson (Spitzer School of Architecture, The City College of New York) in association with the exhibition Housing Multitudes: Reimagining the Landscapes of Suburbia
 
November 8, 1:00 p.m. ET
Magnificent Modular  
Featuring Lina Lahiri (Sauerbruch Hutton, Berlin)
Moderated by Roberto Damiani (Daniels Faculty, University of Toronto)
 
November 10, 6:30 p.m. ET
Contemporary Indigenous Performance and Artist Discussion  
Featuring Sandra Laronde (Misko Kizhigoo Migizii Kwe) and Red Sky Performance
 
November 17, 6:30 p.m. ET
Feminist Architectural Histories of Migration
Featuring Anooradha Iyer Siddiqi (Architecture Department, Barnard College) and Rachel Lee (Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, TU Delft) with Juan Du (Daniels Faculty, University of Toronto), Alexandra Pereira-Edwards (Canadian Centre for Architecture), Armaghan Ziaee (California State University San Marcos), Meredith TenHoor (School of Architecture, Pratt Institute) and Pamela Karimi (Art Education, Art History and Media Studies, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth)

November 22, 12:30 p.m. ET
Resilient Urban Forests Require All Hands on Deck: Lessons from Ecology, Community Science and Working Across Disciplines
Featuring Carly Ziter (Biology Department, Concordia University)
Moderated by Sean Thomas (Daniels Faculty, University of Toronto)
 
November 29, 6:30 p.m. ET
The Art of Being of Service to Art
Featuring Cheryl Sim (Director and Curator, Phi Centre)
Moderated by Mitchell Akiyama (Daniels Faculty, University of Toronto) 
 

The Daniels Faculty is pleased to announce that Dhaka-based architect Marina Tabassum is the 2022-2023 Frank Gehry International Visiting Chair in Architectural Design. 

Since establishing her practice, MTA, in 2005, Tabassum has built a growing body of work acclaimed for its sustainability, ultra-locality and thoughtful material choices.  

In 2016, she was awarded the Aga Khan Award for Architecture for what is perhaps her best-known project to date: the Bait ur Rouf Jame Mosque in the Bangladeshi capital. Last year, she received the prestigious Soane Medal, which recognizes the work of architects, educators or critics who have furthered the public’s understanding of architecture. Tabassum has taught at architecture schools in Bangladesh, Europe and the United States, and has lectured around the world. 

“We are thrilled that Marina will be serving as the Daniels Faculty’s Gehry Chair this year,” says Dean Juan Du. “Her work uniquely addresses the social and ecological challenges of today through architectural design. With all of her projects, Marina consistently engages local culture and environmental context sensitively and innovatively to create meaningful, enduring architecture for and with communities.” 

MTA's Bait ur Rouf Jame Mosque in Dhaka won the 2016 Aga Khan Award for Architecture.

During her appointment as Gehry Chair, Tabassum will lead a year-long research studio for third-year Master of Architecture students at the Faculty. She will kick off her time here with a public lecture in the Main Hall of the Daniels Building on September 15 at 6:30 p.m.  

“I am looking forward to my time at the University of Toronto,” says Tabassum. “The Gehry Chair is a research-based studio. In the era of the Anthropocene, we need to reassess the agendas of architecture and explore the new roles architects can adopt as agents for change. The studio will explore current exemplary models being tried out by architects around the world in order to formulate their own ideas.” 

In particular, Tabassum adds, “my studio will focus on Architecture of Transition. We will study various forms of mass displacement of people due to war, conflict and climate-related crises, among others, and seek out various responses by architects and other professionals. We will also address the issues of permanence and temporality in architecture and the roles materials and construction play in it.”   

“Marina’s practice,” says Wei-Han Vivian Lee, director of the Faculty’s Master of Architecture program, “is unique in its devotion to the planning of sustainable communities. Her projects address humanitarian issues through thoughtful design, a celebration of vernacular craft, and experimentation with material use. So many of our faculty and students are interested in these issues, and we are honoured that she will be here to share her expertise with the Daniels Faculty community.” 

Named in honour of Frank O. Gehry, the Toronto-born designer of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, the Gehry Chair brings an international architect to the Faculty every year to deliver a public lecture and enrich the student learning experience. The endowed role was established in November 2000 by Indigo Books and Music founder Heather Reisman and 45 other donors; they contributed $1 million, which was matched by U of T.  

Over the years, past Gehry Chairs have included Daniel Libeskind (2002-2003), Preston Scott Cohen (2003-2004), Merrill Elam (2004-2005), Diane Lewis (2005-2006), Will Bruder (2006-2007), Jürgen Mayer H (2007-2008), Wes Jones (2008-2009), Mitchell Joachim (2009-2010), Nader Tehrani (2010-2011), Hrvoje Njiric (2011-2012), Josemaría de Churtichaga (2013-2014), Sharon Johnston and Mark Lee (2016-2017), Amale Andraos and Dan Wood (2017-2018), Aljoša Dekleva and Tina Gregorič (2019-2020), Douglas Cardinal (2020-2021) and Lina Ghotmeh (2021-2022). 

For more information on Tabassum and MTA, click here. 

This year’s International Youth Day theme — solidarity across generations — shines a spotlight on the fostering of successful intergenerational relations so that “no one is left behind.” The Daniels Faculty’s summer outreach programs — Minecraft and Design Discovery— were created with just such a mandate in mind, aiming to teach kids, youths and young adults the design skills they’ll need to pursue careers in creative fields. 
 
The summer programs began on June 27 and will be concluding on August 19. Daniels Design Discovery has been held online and, for the first time this year, also in person. During a four-week intensive program based in the Daniels Building, participants are working in a simulated studio environment on an architectural proposal for the Toronto Islands, producing a finished design for their portfolios by the end.  

The on-site experience is beneficial for many reasons, say Lara Hassani and Erik Roberson, the Daniels Faculty alumni co-directing the in-person component. In addition to exposing them to a bona fide design school atmosphere, it is also easier to guide the students in physical model making and to demonstrate techniques. By being in the Daniels Building, they can also see firsthand many of the projects and models made by both undergraduate and graduate students, gaining a sense of the work involved.  

A pin-up board in the graduate studio of the Daniels Building showcases work created by students in this summer's Daniels Design Discovery program.

“We are also able to organize trips to different places,” Hassani and Roberson add, “including building tours, campus tours, a visit to the Toronto Islands and tours of architectural offices in the city.” 

The Daniels Minecraft program, meanwhile, uses the participants’ love of the classic video game to explore the fundamentals of design and architecture while building teamwork and communication skills. 
 
This year, says student lead Jason Zhang, “we have the campers learning about architecture and its applications through three different levels: Foundations of Architecture, Cityscapes and World Building/Game Design.” 

The campers are trained in basic concepts and topics related to architecture in the Foundations of Architecture level, which they can then apply in the next two levels. Those specialize in urban design (infrastructure, sustainable architecture, etc.) and world building (immersion, storytelling, etc.). 

One of the many cityscapes built by students on the Minecraft server as part the Faculty's Minecraft summer camp.

Observed annually by the United Nations, International Youth Day seeks to foster youth development in numerous areas in every corner of the globe. This year’s focus on intergenerational solidarity is somewhat unique, emphasizing the benefits of collaboration. 

“I think it is very fulfilling to watch the campers grow and improve as the session progresses, as it shows everyone that what we do together can produce great results,” says Zhang of the Faculty’s efforts. 

“I especially enjoy seeing campers come back from previous terms or years and it is always nice to see a familiar face join the camp again.” 

To learn more about the Faculty’s summer programs, visit the individual program pages on the Daniels Faculty website. 

The Daniels Faculty is happy to welcome Dr. Jewel Amoah as its inaugural Assistant Dean, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. Dr. Amoah is a Trinidadian-Canadian rights advocate and academic who has dedicated her career to the promotion and protection of human rights and to gender and racial equality. The new role of Assistant Dean, EDI is a reflection of the Faculty’s commitment to bringing about the changes required to foster equal access and representation at Daniels at an institutional level. 

“By appointing Dr. Amoah as Assistant Dean, EDI, we are acknowledging that real inclusivity and diversity require not only a director or committee, but an integrated advocate working with students, faculty and staff throughout our academic endeavours,” says Dean Juan Du. “Jewel’s experience as an advocate and activist has been diverse and effective; we look forward to benefitting from her knowledge and perspective as we engage in this important work.”

A graduate of McMaster University, the University of Ottawa and the University of Cape Town, Dr. Amoah has inspired and produced systemic change, enhancing access to justice and the promotion of full rights for all, in a number of educational settings. Prior to joining the Daniels Faculty on July 25, she was the Human Rights and Equity Advisor with the Halton District School Board in Ontario. She also sits on the McMaster University Research Ethics Board and is a part-time Commissioner with the Ontario Human Rights Commission. 

In her view, one of the biggest challenges to effecting systemic change in educational institutions is “fear of and resistance to the unknown.” 

“The system,” says Dr. Amoah, “was not designed to critique itself — in the words of Audre Lorde, ‘the master’s tools will not dismantle the master’s house.’ And so part of the initial response to this challenge is an awareness that an equitable and inclusive house has no master, but a community of occupants who recognize that their survival and ability to thrive is based on inclusive collaboration.” 

“I approach my role,” she continues, “from the perspective that new tools need to be developed and used: tools that carve out flexibility, transparency and accountability in all that we want to be and do. Part of this reference to new tools is also about new designs and new social positionality: giving voice to the disempowered and redrawing the lines of inclusion so that the margin becomes the centre.” 

In the pursuit of these goals at Daniels, Dr. Amoah’s portfolio encompasses a range of activities and tactics, including but not limited to strategic planning, leadership and advice; data collection and analysis; training, workshops and program development; and committee work both internal and external to the Faculty. 

Among her very first tasks, though, will be with the building of relationships with faculty, students and other stakeholders, in order to “facilitate the collaboration and strategic interaction that is to come.” 

“Even if activities have not been formally framed in the language of equity and inclusion,” Dr. Amoah says, “members of the Daniels community will have ideas about what needs to be done to advance inclusion and many will have their own examples of what they have been doing in their own spheres to meet these aspirations. In many ways, I see the role of Assistant Dean as coordinating and inspiring the work that everyone at Daniels is doing in this area.” 

In addition, “I hope to apply my human rights expertise to building and sustaining a culture of human rights throughout the Faculty. This could involve anything from policy development to advising on complaint resolution to proactive initiatives to raise awareness of the intersections between human rights and architecture, landscape and design.” 

As well as her work in Canadian legal, K-12 and postsecondary educational environments, Dr. Amoah has considerable international experience from which she draws, having worked on the promotion and protection of human rights, good governance and gender equality in Sierra Leone, Malawi and Namibia, and as a lecturer in the Faculty of Law at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad.  

Her own life as a Trinidadian-Canadian and as a Black woman, she adds, also informs her work. 

“I am the embodiment of multiple intersections and can appreciate that no one is ever only one thing, nor do all aspects of my identity impact all circumstances all of the time,” she says. “My particular identity intersections have enabled me to occupy both majority and minority spaces, to hold both dominant and subordinate roles, to be both teacher and student, all depending on context.” 

“Personally,” she concludes, “I am excited about joining Daniels because it presents an opportunity to be more engaged with the concepts of architecture and design that will change the world as we respond to current urgent and evolving crises — housing, migration, climate change, public health — all of which relate to systemic social inequities.” 

It has turned out to be an exciting summer for a pair of Daniels Faculty MVS students, each of whom have earned rare opportunities both in Canada and abroad to hone their talents and skills.  

To name just one of her accomplishments this season, Omolola Ajao, a Master of Visual Studies candidate in Studio Art, has been taking part in the Doc Accelerator program, a “bespoke private lab” run by the documentary-film organization HotDocs to foster the careers of emerging filmmakers. “Her films,” HotDocs says of Ajao, a Nigerian-Canadian who is one of 14 2022 fellows there, “waver and work within documentary and narrative, [revolving] around consciousness, temporality and spatiality.” 

The Doc Accelerator program will allow Ajao to undertake in-depth career workshops and engage with industry experts, promoting real-world skill development in the process. Her past documentary work has already been screened internationally and even garnered a Canadian Screen Award. She was also a 2021/22 fellow at TIFF. 

But that’s not all: In addition to participating in this year’s Doc Accelerator program, Ajao is the Daniels Faculty’s first-ever Flaherty Film Seminar Fellow. An intensive week-long “process of screening and exchange” that attracts some of documentary film’s best artists, curators and programmers, Flaherty describes itself as the world’s leading seminar for experimental moving image practice. This year — the fellowships’ 67th — the seminar was held from June 24 to July 1 both online and in person at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York. Ajao’s fellowship was supported by the Flaherty Film Seminar and the Canada Council for the Arts.  

And there’s more: Ajao’s itinerary this summer also includes a Hambige Center Artists’ Residency in Rabun Gap, Georgia, some 186 kilometres northeast of Atlanta. One of the first artist communities in the U.S., the Center was established by artist’s-model-turned-weaver Mary Hambidge in 1934 and has a distinguished history of supporting creative thinkers of all kinds through self-directed residency programs. Current residencies, which provide successful applicants with private studios, living spaces and meals, range from two to four weeks. Ajao is using hers to conduct research and production work on her forthcoming thesis project. 

Meanwhile, fellow Visual Studies student Atif Khan, MVS candidate in Curatorial Studies, is also venturing abroad. Through a biannual international-travel award administered by the Art Museum at the University of Toronto and Hart House, he’ll be taking in the 2022 Venice Biennale, which opened this year in April and closes in November, as well as a couple of Germany’s leading cultural events.  

Established by Reesa Greenberg, an internationally renowned scholar on museums and exhibition studies, the award bestowed on Khan recognizes academic excellence among Curatorial Studies students at the end of their first semester by supporting travel to Europe for study and research at the Venice Biennale.

In addition to visiting Venice, Khan is slated to attend both the 15th edition of contemporary-art exhibition documenta in Kassel and the 2022 Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art.

As part of his VIS1004 MVS internship requirements, he will also be conducting preparatory work on his 2023 thesis exhibition through a two-week research program with the National Archeif, the National Archives of the Netherlands.

Banner images: Master of Visual Studies students Omolola Ajao (left) and Atif Khan (right) are broadening their academic horizons this summer through artistic residencies and work-study trips.

The Dean’s Office would like to take this opportunity to provide further information on the decision to form a First Peoples Leadership Advisory Group for the Daniels Faculty.

This development significantly expands the existing First Peoples Leadership Advisor role from one to three positions, diversifying the Indigenous perspectives and experiences within the Dean’s Office. It also evolves the existing role, creating pathways for all members of our Faculty—academic and administrative leaders, students and staff—to access this support and expertise. Moreover, it formalizes and sustains what has, to date, been a part-time and time-limited appointment. Advertising an open call to all qualified candidates and affirming the value of both lived and academic experience express the Faculty’s long-term commitment to providing meaningful and culturally appropriate support to all members of our community. Recognizing the foundational contributions of the inaugural First Peoples Leadership Advisor, our current Advisor was invited and encouraged to apply to join the Advisory Group, and a contract extension to bridge the transition was offered and accepted prior to the public announcements of the open call. 

The Dean’s Office arrived at the decision to evolve the First Peoples Leadership Advisor position after consulting Indigenous and non-Indigenous members at the Daniels Faculty, members of Indigenous organizations at U of T, and Indigenous experts beyond the University. Consultation will continue to play a primary role in decision-making as we collectively build on the Faculty’s work to answer the Calls to Action articulated by the University’s TRC Steering Committee.  

Banner image: A Master of Architecture student presents her Design Studio 2 (ARC1012) project for review in the Daniels Building earlier this year. Part of the Faculty’s ongoing commitment to integrating meaningful Indigenous content into the curriculum, the studio tasked students with designing a seedbank for the non-profit Kayanase organization using both science-based approaches and Traditional Ecological Knowledge. The course addresses Call to Action No. 17 in U of T’s response to the report by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and was developed in collaboration with multiple Indigenous experts. (Photo by Harry Choi)

The Daniels Faculty is pleased to announce that, as part of our ongoing commitment to developing and enhancing Indigenous knowledge and capacity in our Faculty, the role of the First Peoples Leadership Advisor is being expanded to a First Peoples Leadership Advisory Group in order to diversify perspectives and include multiple experiences and expertise from broader Indigenous communities. The expanded role and responsibilities, as well as the public open call for applications, have been made in close consultation with U of T’s Office for Indigenous Initiatives and First Nations House.  

In expanding this role to an Advisory Group to include three members, the Daniels Faculty, its students and our community will benefit from the contributions and advice of multiple perspectives. This group will work closely with a Faculty leadership team and use Wecheehetowin: Answering the Call, U of T’s response to the TRC report, to guide the directions of our efforts and build on work already undertaken within the Faculty.  

This First Peoples Leadership Advisory Group will provide leadership and guidance within the Faculty to enable greater incorporation of Indigenous knowledge into the teaching curriculum and research activities. It will also expand connections and engagement with Indigenous peoples and communities for our students and faculty. And, perhaps most importantly, they will further support the next generation of students in the Daniels Faculty.   

Key responsibilities include: 

Curriculum enrichment: 

• Providing curriculum and research support to the Daniels Faculty to ensure relevant and culturally grounded elements are included 
• Collaborating with faculty on the design and implementation of Indigenous research and education content 
• Supporting targeted requests from faculty for perspective and insight 

Student support: 

• Supporting current Daniels Faculty Indigenous students on culturally specific, financial, academic support or other issues as they arise; liaising with the Registrar or First Nations House as appropriate 
• Advising non-Indigenous students seeking cultural perspective, input, resources or guidance  

Advisory and outreach: 

• Offer advice and counsel to the Dean and Faculty leadership 
• Facilitating outreach or introduction into communities for projects or initiatives 
• Supporting cultivation of pathways for future students to the Daniels Faculty 
• Providing advice on pathways to admission for Indigenous youth and other potential students.  

Service: 

• Establish connections with the U of T Office of Indigenous Initiatives 
• Working with Assistant Dean, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion on broader Faculty initiatives 
• Advising or participating in ceremonies as requested  
• The First Peoples Advisory Group will lead the creation of its Terms of Reference 

Open Call: Those interested may apply via the following link by Friday, July 29, 2022:  

First Peoples Leadership Advisory Group – Application Form 

Applications will be reviewed by a committee comprised of members from U of T’s Office for Indigenous Initiatives and the Daniels Faculty Leadership Team, as well as representatives from Daniels Faculty Indigenous students and alumni. 

Banner image: This year’s Design Studio 2 (ARC 1012) tasked Master of Architecture students with designing a seedbank for the non-profit Kayanase organization (student Alice Dong’s is pictured above) using both science-based approaches and Traditional Indigenous Knowledge. Part of the Daniels Faculty’s ongoing commitment to integrating meaningful Indigenous content into the curriculum, the first-year core MARC course was developed in collaboration with multiple Indigenous experts and directly addresses Call to Action No. 17 in U of T’s response to the report by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. (Photo by Harry Choi)

Nicollo Abe, a fourth-year architecture student, has been recognized by the University of Toronto Libraries for his innovative research project on mobility and architecture, called “Architecture on Modern European Banknotes: In Search of Stability through Abstract Circulation.” 

Each year, U of T Libraries recognizes undergraduate students from various faculties with the Patricia and Peter Shannon Wilson Undergraduate Research Prize. This prize provides students writing a research essay or assignment with an opportunity to reflect on their information-seeking experience while showcasing their research skills beyond the classroom. Abe’s effective and innovative use of various university libraries’ information sources led to his recognition.  

Completed as part of the ARC451H: Mobility and Architecture course at the Daniels Faculty, Abe’s essay explores the cultural impact of currency imagery on architecture by focusing on the Euro banknotes of 1996. He considers how architecture performs as a vehicle of symbolic power and is utilized as a cultural technique that shapes national identities while maintaining global imaginaries. Figures and photographs guide readers as they go through 12 pages of content, concluding with a question concerning architecture’s role in the digital age. 
 
“What I learned throughout this information-seeking process,” Abe says, “was the value of images and photos [in both] the Eberhard Zeidler Library and U of T Libraries’ online database. Whether my primary or secondary sources were printed or digital, there were many times when I relied upon the images that are embedded in them. Perhaps this was due to the nature and scope of the research, but I found that photographs and illustrations are essential components in knowledge-making and research.”  

Abe’s sponsoring faculty member was Daniels Faculty Sessional Lecturer Ipek Mehmetoğlu, who worked closely with him throughout his research process. Abe was able to critically reflect, says Mehmetoğlu, “on the contribution of his sources to the development of his topic on European banknotes and architectural abstraction and mobility. His research proves his curiosity for innovation, self-reliability and good understanding and effective use of secondary and primary sources.”

As an undergraduate student, Abe was able to use the knowledge he acquired in his architecture program to contribute to an international discussion on imagery and architecture. His research can now be found on TSpace, U of T’s research repository, here.  

With files from a U of T News story by Larysa Woloszansky

Banner image: Daniels Faculty architecture student Nicollo Abe, winner of a 2022 Patricia and Peter Shannon Wilson Undergraduate Research Prize, is pictured second from left. The prize is given out by U of T Libraries annually to undergraduate essay writers who demonstrate superlative research skills.

Newly minted BAAS grad Jessie Pan’s research into the use of trees in building simulation has come full circle in a little over a year.

It started in May of 2021 when she won the NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award to study how better tree modelling could improve building designs. Flash forward 12 months and she will be presenting the fruits of her research, which include a framework for the creation of more dynamic tree models than typically used by designers, at the e-Sim conference in Ottawa on June 22.

“I am excited about the presentation,” says Pan, who received her Honours Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies degree on June 15. “It is a great honour to be presenting my first paper at my first conference.”

Titled Simulating the Impact of Deciduous Trees on Energy, Daylight and Visual Comfort: Impact Analysis and a Practical Framework for Implementation, the peer-reviewed paper that Pan will be presenting at eSim encompasses the research she undertook with Assistant Professor Alstan Jakubiec over the past year.

The current practice in building simulation, she notes, tends to use solid or simplified trees, disregarding their complex and fluctuating effects, especially when it comes deciduous varieties. 

“Deciduous trees are sophisticated due to tree phenology and leaf senescence that impact their foliage density and colour throughout the year,” Pan explains. “We created a framework for developing dynamic tree models that integrate temporal schedules of colour change, leaf drop and regrowth, as well as physical measurements of gap fractions.”

What she and Jakubiec discovered was that, “when compared to our detailed tree models,” there are “significant differences in lighting, heating and cooling loads when using simplified models…or no trees at all.”

More sophisticated tree modelling, in short, can quantifiably lead to better, more energy-efficient buildings.

The eSim Building Simulation Conference — organized by Carleton University, National Research Council Canada and Natural Resources Canada — is slated to be held at Carleton on June 22 and 23. The theme this year — the conference’s 12th — is Simulating Buildings for the New Normal, with a focus on “using building performance simulation to model and research indoor air quality and other strategies for mitigating risks related to transmission of infectious disease.”

Typically, some 200 delegates attend each conference, with more than 75 peer-reviewed papers presented. Pan is scheduled to present hers on the first day of the event.

In addition to receiving the NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award, Pan also won the 2021 Project StaSIO Summer Challenge, which was focused on the subjects of daylight and glare, for her graphics illustrating her findings.

She created the graphics using Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Excel, Grasshopper/Rhino and Python. The tools used in the simulation analysis were ClimateStudio, Radiance and Python.

The entire project was “my first exposure to academic research and I am very grateful for this experience with Professor Jakubiec,” Pan says. “This opportunity has jumpstarted my research interest, skillset and background, and I look forward to applying it all during my future graduate studies.”

Banner image: BAAS student Jessie Pan poses for a portrait after receiving an Academic Merit Award during the Daniels Faculty’s Graduation and Awards Celebration at 1 Spadina Crescent on June 14. (Photo by Sara Elhawash)

How do you transform a standard shopping-plaza parking lot into a thriving community space that people actually want to be in?  

In late spring, students enrolled in the Design Build Studio architecture course called Corner Commons pondered just that, designing and then building two shade pavilions and a stage canopy in an area outside Toronto’s Jane Finch Mall. 

Architect, urban designer and Daniels Faculty alumnus Clint Langevin co-led the course alongside Amy Norris, an architect at Diamond Schmitt Architects, as a social-purpose exercise with the Jane Finch Community and Family Centre. The result was Corner Commons, a temporary informal gathering space that transformed a portion of the Jane Finch Mall into a multifaceted public resource that the community will be using all summer long. 

Among the interventions that the students made on the site were a new focal point for visitors, a substantial shaded area where residents could gather and relax, and a flexible space for performances and other community-led programming.   

“These studios are an incredible learning experience for everyone involved,” says Langevin, an architect at Perkins&Will. “For the students, it is often the first time they encounter the real challenges and rewards of designing a built project for an actual client, who they meet, present to and receive honest feedback from.” 

“For us,” adds Norris, “it is hugely energizing to jump into this wild sea of ideas and perform the balancing act of guiding the group toward something that is achievable within our timeframe and budget but retains their design aspirations for the project. The design week alone is super satisfying, but the real magic is the week of turning the lines on paper into an occupiable public space with our own hands.  

“There are too many personal and professional lessons learned to list, but watching the development of everyone’s skills, knowledge and confidence over that week and ultimately their pride in building a unique public space for the community is hugely rewarding.” 

With the Mall’s support, the Jane Finch Community and Family Centre will be hosting a wide range of activities and events in the space this summer, with local artists, resident leaders, grassroots groups and various community organizations from the neighbourhood participating.  

The Corner Commons project was awarded a 2022 National Urban Design Award of Excellence by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC), which called it the product of “an exceptional community-driven process.” 

“It is clear,” one jury member wrote, “that the community came together under the banner of this initiative. Because of this ownership in process and purpose, the result is a space for the community and by the community. With enough infrastructure to sponsor a wide diversity of programming, from community gardens to performance spaces to spaces for protestation, it is truly the hallmark of authentic public space.” 
 
Additional studio and site support was provided by Jonathan Wong and Perkins&Will staff. To learn more about the course, visit this web page.  

Photos by Urban Designer, Eunice Wong of Perkins&Will.