ARC3015YF
Fall 2024 Option Studio
Instructors: Shane Laptiste and Tura Cousins Wilson
Meeting Section: L0108
Tuesdays, 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., 2:00-6:00 p.m.

This course investigates the insights to be gained from community-created environments without formal architectural guidance and new architectural possibilities that can be created to allow these spaces to thrive. The studio will be understood within the context of the closure of several arts spaces and grassroots live-music venues in Toronto. We will also explore the ways in which Black cultural expression and communal memory has impacted the design of community spaces.

Students will explore how these spaces, historically and currently, influence and are impacted by urban change, offering models for adaptability and sustainability. By examining how communities adapt urban spaces, the course will address the limitations imposed by zoning laws and building codes and the impact of government infrastructure and surveillance. It also analyzes what architects can learn from unplanned spaces, exploring their past and present roles and their potential to address the climate crisis through adaptability and reuse. 

Delving into architecture as an expression of power, the course focuses on marginalized communities’ spatial desires and the influence of migration, incorporating post-colonial writings and the representation of blackness in architecture. It examines key themes such as the impact of Black and Caribbean settlements on Canadian cities, contemporary creators’ influence on urbanism and resistance to displacement, and the potential for adapted spaces to create sustainable, culturally vibrant futures. The course also addresses the closure of live-music venues in Toronto, aiming to understand the relationship between architects, policymakers, communities, and the urban environment, and it investigates how the pandemic exacerbated the decline of music venues and the cultural impact of these losses on urban life. 

Through these themes, students will learn how dynamic cultural spaces can inspire more inclusive and sustainable urban designs in shaping architectural and cultural landscapes.

The course schedule is in progress and can be found here.