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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Earlier this year, alumna Victoria Taylor (MLA 2008) co-founded and co-curated ====\\DeRAIL Platform for Art and Architecture with designer and public art curator, Gelareh Saadapajouh. ====\\DeRAIL is a curated program of site-specific exhibitions, events, competitions, and publications with a mission to foster, support, interpret, celebrate, and expand public understanding around placemaking, landscape, and urbanism. It aims to provide an alternative platform for dialogue and collaboration across disciplinary, geographical, and ideological boundaries at the intersection of contemporary art and architecture. Taylor and Saadapajouh’s vision for the program is to inspire Toronto to expand the public dialogue around contemporary art, placemaking, landscape, and urbanism.

For its inaugural commission in Spring 2016, ====\\DeRAIL presented the installation titled MOBILE INK FACTORY by Jason Logan of Toronto Ink Company. Through the Doors Open weekend, Logan led participants along a section of the West Toronto Railpath park to learn about the unique character of this urban ecosystem, and then invited participants to make ink from the natural and handmade elements collected during the exploratory walks. The bottles of ink were kept as a souvenir of place, time, and experience. Educational, playful and participatory, MOBILE INK FACTORY drew attention to biodiversity and the inherent colours of the West Toronto Railpath park to celebrate new ways of understanding a familiar place beyond its usual functionality. For photos of the event, click here.

Taylor was recently interviewed by Metro News Toronto for her work with Landscape Punctures – a project that encourages residents to make their laneways greener by using “crack mix.” The special horticultural blend contains durable plant seeds that can grow with little maintenance.

“Through the Laneway Puncture, community volunteers get together and dig punctures in the middle of a laneway, where they place the plants,” writes Gilbert Ngabo for Metro News Toronto. “As many as 250 km of laneways will be part of the project.”

Place-Holder, a graduate student-run publication, has been awarded a grant from the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts. The third edition of the journal, edited by Michael Abel (MArch 2016) and Mina Hanna (MArch 2014), includes work by contributors Patrick Pregesbauer, Maarten Lambrechts, Daniel Tudor Munteanu, Nancy Webb, Zoé Renaud-Drouin (MArch 2014), Elliott Sturtevant (MArch 2014), Max Powell (MArch 2015), and many more.

Place-Holder was started in 2012 as “an active catalogue of design, for contemporary use and future reference, a repository and mediator of ideas that are floating in our (corporeal and digital) memories.”

From the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts website:

This student-run journal addresses the unspoken aspects of architectural pedagogy and reveals the relics of the architecture design process, which form an archive of unseen products, set-aside ideas, and scrapped technologies. Whether they are temporary trends or resilient values, these, too, are part of the public discourse on design and cities and should be part of the conversation. Place-Holder creates a home for that which is otherwise lost—off-hand musings, abandoned models, interviews with practitioners—as well as the residual effects of the making of architecture. It is active catalogue of design, for contemporary use and future reference, a repository and mediator of ideas that are floating in our (corporeal and digital) memories. Place-Holder is an open conversation.

Last year, Place-Holder’s interview with Greg Lynn — conducted by Roya Mottahedeh (MArch 2014), Mark Ross (MArch 2014), and Paul Harrison (MArch 2014) — was featured in Archinect’s Screen/Print series.

“The so-called Issue 1/2 takes a look at the things that may seem out of architecture’s wheelhouse, but in the end prove themselves as major influencers,” writes Archinect in its introduction to the interview, “in short, the life around architecture always bleeds back in.”

The third edition of Place-Holder will be released soon. This most recent edition will focus on the influence of the network in the public domain and the implications it has on architecture’s autonomy as a discipline. For more information, visit www.place-holder.net

Lecturer Hans Ibelings, Lecturer Alex Josephson (PARTISANS), and friend of the Daniels Faculty Eve Lewis (MSc., Urban and Regional Planning 1981) will participate in a discussion exploring the condominiumization of Toronto on June 22 as part of the Luminato Festival. The panel discussion will reflect on the book Rise & Sprawl: The Condominiumization of Toronto. Co-authored by Hans Ibelings and PARTISANS, the new book investigates the emergence of a new pressure-cooked architectural vernacular and posits alternative ways of tackling design and development processes to ensure better architectural outcomes.

Rise and Sprawl: The Condominiumization of Toronto
by Hans Ibelings and PARTISANS

June 22, 2016, 5–6:30 PM, Side Room
The Hearn (440 Unwin Avenue, Toronto)

“While rapid densification is contributing to Toronto’s increased liveliness, the unbridled development of monotonous condo towers is resulting in a significant facelift we may later come to regret,” write Ibelings and PARTISANS. “We are failing to create a cityscape that serves our citizens, let alone a skyline we can be proud of as a legacy for future generations.”

The discussion is part of a series of events hosted by After School + PARTISANS for Luminato 2016 that focus on the future of Toronto in terms of arts institutions, civic infrastructure, architecture and design, and overall cultural and economic prosperity.

For more information, visit Luminato's website.

Five Daniels alumni and faculty members are among eight finalist design teams for the Lord Stanley’s Gift Monument Public Art Competition:

• North Design Office — the firm of Daniels Faculty Professors Pete North and Alissa North — joined with Blackwell and Mulvi&Banani to form the team North Design/Blackwell/Mulvi&Banani.
• Lecturer Nima Javidi (MUD 2005) and Behnaz Assadi (MLA 2008) are working under the name Javidi/Errazuriz/Assadi.
• David Leinster (BLA 1985) collaborated with Douglas Coupland and Karen Mills to form Coupland/Leinster/Mills.

“The Jury was overwhelmed with the extraordinary qualifications and achievements of the design teams,” writes Adrian Burns, Jury Chair. “As you can imagine, evaluating so much talent and experience made our task exceedingly difficult.”

Earlier this year, the Lord Stanley’s Gift Monument Public Art Competition invited teams to submit design proposals for what is expected to become a prominent new landmark in Ottawa. The monument will be built in time for the 125^th anniversary of the Stanley Cup Trophy — a Canadian symbol that originated with Canada’s sixth governor general, Lord Stanley of Preston.

The winning design will be announced in October 2016 on the advice of a jury of eminent Canadians who are highly respected in the fields of public art, culture, history, and hockey. The monument will be donated to the City of Ottawa, and unveiled in December 2017 in downtown Ottawa at the corner of Elgin and Sparks Streets — steps from the site where Lord Stanley of Preston gifted the Stanley Cup on March 18, 1892.

On Friday, June 24th, the Art Museum will host "Building Museums: Building Cities (Part 2)," a panel discussion featuring Adrian Blackwell (MUD 2002), Shirley Blumberg (BArch 1976), Associate Professor Barbara Fischer, and Dean Richard Sommer.

The event builds on a previous discussion that considered Toronto’s recent cultural building revival, the surge of large capital projects, and the renewals of museum spaces currently developing across Canada. The follow up event will focus more critically on the nature of museum architecture in the context of international development. The Daniels Faculty members will be joined by French architect Eric Lapierre, Charles Renfro of New York-based Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and Paris-based writer and critic Philippe Trétiack.

From the University of Toronto Art Centre website:

"The discussion will centre on recent museum architecture in the context of the paradigmatic transformations of ideas of the museum’s role in the larger culture. Taking as their point of departure recent examples in Canada, the US and France, the panelists will examine the tendency toward spectacular architecture and its role in urban renewal and gentrification, but also the transformation of the idea of the museum space—from a hallowed, quasi-religious and authoritarian space to one increasingly focused on the notion of the emancipated audience, broader visitor engagement, the purpose of social gatherings, as a laboratory of ideas, and/or space of affective, immersive experience."

The discussion will take place in the Debates Room of the Hart House, and will start at 3:00 PM on Friday, June 24^th.

For more information, visit the Art Museum's website.

Today, the Daniels Faculty’s graduating students will participate in the historic procession across King’s College Circle, where they will receive their diploma. As the Class of 2016 begins this new chapter in their lives, we asked alumni across all of our programs for some words of wisdom.

Here are 12 pieces of advice from #DanielsAlum.

1.

Experience working in different sizes of firms — each with a different office culture — and do a range of different types of buildings. All the while keep asking yourself: Is this the type of work I want to contribute to our civic culture and is this the right environment for me to do my best work? — Janna Levitt, Bachelor of Architecture, 1986

2.

Don't take everyone's advice. Consider what's relevant, and learn to be a good sieve.

Don't be afraid to bring who you are into your practice. Your quirks, your habits, your unrelated talents and obsessions: let the seemingly irrelevant engage with your work. It's the deviations that are deeply interesting and contribute to a better and more human design approach. — Denise Pinto, Master of Landscape Architecture 2011

3.

Write an introduction about a future version of yourself. Leave no reservations based on practical concerns, but only your most ideal state of being. Print it out, and read it. This activity will offer you a raw future you can now begin to edit. 

Make as many allies as you can, and be kind to people who are kind to you. Be honest about your opinions — when you choose to "behave well" and conceal your thoughts, this "well-managed" relationship will never be a close connection. 

You signed up to do architecture. Be an expert of it, and be good at everything else. — Jimenez Lai, Master of Architecture, 2007

4.

Early work experience is very special, it provides the framework for your professional career. Look for employment that offers a broad range of opportunities. Seek out ways to engage in what you are passionate about, it really matters that your work is challenging. — Eha Naylor, Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, 1980

5.

Stay close to your cohort and your faculty. Take time to work on all the projects you put aside. Make new work, the projects that you believed in and never realized, disseminate them, seek funding and remember to have fun along the way. Take each rejection as a sign for motivation. — Ali El-Darsa, Master of Visual Studies (Studio), 2015

6.

Travel. See what other cities are doing in urban design, landscape, gardens, architecture, public art, cultural programming, festivals. See art. Work in other parts of the world. Blur boundaries. — Victoria Taylor, Master of Landscape Architecture 2008

7.

Look for ways to continue exploring ideas from your thesis or final studio project - whether it is finding a job in an office that does similar work, collaborating with like-minded colleagues, attending conferences, or joining special interest groups  - your thesis can give your career a sense of direction moving forward. — Duncan Sabiston, Master of Architecture, 2014

8.

My friend and filmmaker Atom Egoyan recently had a simple inspirational message for students at Trinity College as they prepared to embark on their working lives. “Be what you want to become.”

I think the message applies to us all at every stage of life and it is especially relevant for young architects who will succeed in a competitive and challenging field with an independent, creative spirit and a strong sense of purpose. — Anne McIlroy, Bachelor of Architecture, 1986

9.

Enthusiasm and desire. While you're on the job and in everything you do in life... give it everything you have. — Shaimaa Atef, Master of Urban Design 2015

10.
Photo credit: Ruth Maria Murphy

Don't underestimate the value of mentorship both within and outside of the office. There is a lot to learn, so it's important to have a good support system while remaining patient and enthusiastic along the way. — Sonia Ramundi, Master of Architecture, 2012

11.

Learn to trust your intuition.

Substance over Style.

— Claude Cormier, Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, 1986

12.

Dare to Configure - Oser Configurer!

Every Building Implies a City.

— Bruce Kuwabara, Bachelor of Architecture 1972

Do you have advice you’d like to share with our graduating class? Post your words of wisdom on Twitter and Instagram and tag with #Adviceforgrads.

Here are some resources for students joining the Daniels Faculty's alumni community today: 

• 9 ways to stay connected after graduation
• Daniels Faculty alumni page
• U of T's alumni services website

As the City of Toronto awaits provincial approval for transformative new zoning bylaws, Daniels Faculty Instructor Joshua Thorpe suggests other cities around the world look to Toronto's Tower Renewal initiative for inspiration.

In his article "How to rethink the suburbs: A lesson from Toronto," published in the online magazine Doggerel, Thorpe explores the unique conditions of Toronto's inner suburbs. Unlike any other North American city, Toronto's suburbs contain about two-thousand towers, housing almost a million residents. These towers, which were built following the Second World War, were largely designed for middle-class car-dependent families. Though the demographics of Toronto's inner suburbs have since changed, these neighbourhoods are still shaped by existing zoning policies that limit commercial resources and amenities. Things like cafés, grocers, bike paths, and playgrounds — often taken for granted by people living downtown — are simply non-existent in these suburban neighbourhoods. 

Thorpe outlines the history of the suburban tower-in-the-park typology as well as the important role they continue to play today. He writes about the architects and planners who have been advocating for changes to the city's zoning bylaws, resulting in the Residential Apartment Commercial (RAC) zone, accepted by Toronto City Council in 2014. The final approval for the RAC zone at a provincial level is expected in early summer 2016.

Final approval will create opportunities for small businesses, fresh food vendors, community gardens, medical clinics and more to open up in these suburban tower communities.

Writes Thorpe: "This is the beginning of a new phase for Toronto — and an important part of fulfilling the promise of a fair, equitable, and welcoming city, a city that champions its diversity instead of hiding it."

Related:

• CBC's Metro Morning interviews alumni and faculty about Tower Renewal
• Ted Kesik featured in Globe and Mail article on Tower Renewal
• Alumnus Graham Stewart shares his vision for Toronto's Tower Neighbourhoods with the Toronto Star
• Graham Stewart wins the 2014 Jane Jacobs Prize
• Tower Renewal Guidelines
• Alumus Jesse Colin Jackson presents solo exhibition, Radiant City, at the Pari Nadimi Gallery
  
   

The 4th Annual Gladstone Grow Op returns April 21-24.

This four-day festival will transform the Gladstone Hotel’s second floor with 30+ immersive installations that take on urbanism, environmental sustainability, landscape design, and contemporary art. The exhibit will include evening events as well as both on and off-site participatory events.

This year, the Daniels Faculty is proud to provide support for the art, architecture, and design collective NomadicVisionStudio, founded by Daniels Faculty masters students Claire Kurtin, Nadia Pulez, and Ramin Yamin. Their installation, Hypha, explores “the relationship between nature and urbanity through those places that they undesirably intersect.” The project is inspired by “the form of fungi and mould” and promises to challenge our “assumptions about the interdependency between architecture and the environment.”

Exhibition Hours:

April 21: 11am - 8pm
April 22: 11am - 10pm
April 23: 11am - 10pm
April 23: 10am - 5pm

Events:

Wednesday, April 20: Gow Op Talks 8:00 - 10:00pm
Thursday, April 21: Grow Op’s Alternative Food + Drink Show 6:00 - 1:00pm
Friday, April 22: Opening reception 7:00 - 10:00pm (After party 10:00pm - late)
Saturday, April 23: Offisite Installation by Robert Cram + After Party, OCADU Gallery, 7-10pm
Sunday, April 24: Gladstone Flea Goes Green, Melody Bar, 10:00am - 4:00pm

Daniels Faculty alumni also participating in the Gladstone Grow up include Rui Felix (MLA 2015) and Victoria Taylor (MLA 2008), the curator of last year’s festival.

For more information, visit the Gladstone Hotel’s website or the Facebook page for the event.

Follow NomadicVisionStudio on instagram @nomadicvisionstudio