For all students travelling on University sanctioned activity, you must complete all safety abroad pre-departure requirements including checking travel advisories, completing safety abroad online workshops, securing travel health insurance and completing the safety abroad registry. More information on the safety pre-departure requirements for university activity abroad is available on the Safety Abroad website.

The Douglas Kenneth Laird Allen Travel Scholarship provides travel and research-related funds to current students in the Master of Architecture program enrolled at the Daniels Faculty. Students eligible for the award must be in good academic standing. Students must apply for the scholarship by submitting an application which details their proposed travel itinerary and includes a statement of how it will contribute to the development of their further studies.

About Douglas Kenneth Laird Allen:
Douglas (Doug) Kenneth Laird Allen graduated from the University of Toronto’s School of Architecture in 1956. After travels and work in California, Douglas opened his practice in Richmond Hill, Ontario in 1963, known as Douglas Allen, Architect. He operated a successful practice, with the firm later becoming known as Allen and Sherriff Architects Inc. which continues today. Doug valued his education and especially the formative field studies and sketch camp at Dorset, in years four and five of the program, in which he and his classmates sketched buildings and landscapes. Douglas viewed the profession of architecture as unique, combining artistic passion, mathematics, and business acumen. Through a life-long commitment to sketching and painting, he travelled to countless places in the world, which led to another passion, which was financing and building schools in underserved areas in Central America, through a charity named Schools for Children of the World. Douglas published a collection of his sketches and work titled “An Architect’s Adventures While Travelling with Watercolours” in 2016. Douglas received UofT’s highest honour for volunteerism, the Arbor Award and was a Fellow of the RAIC. He took great pride in his alma mater, recognizing it through his bequest to establish a scholarship fund.

Value: The approximate value of this award is $2,000.00. 

Application: Students must apply for the award by submitting an application along with a proposal that details their travel/research itinerary, including sites to be visited, the dates involved, and a corresponding budget. Applications must also include a statement of how the award will contribute to the development of their further studies and/or thesis proposal.