Daniels Faculty Alumna Megan Torza (March 2005) will present the public lecture "Exploring Low Cost Sustainability" on Thursday, March 28 at 6:30pm at the University of Toronto's Faculty Club (41 Willcocks Street).

An architect and partner in the Toronto-based multi-disciplinary design practice DTAH, Torza has a strong personal interest in adaptive re-use and the integration of contemporary, sustainable design with historic urban fabric.

Her talk will share methods to reduce the ecological footprint of a building while also minimizing its complexity and cost. She argues that for projects in the arts, non-profit, and cultural sectors with limited capital and operating funding, creative approaches to energy efficiency can be highly effective not only in achieving environmental and financial sustainability, but also in encouraging lasting social and cultural sustainability through place-making and behavioural change.

Citing DTAH projects such as Evergreen Brick Works, Artscape Wychwood Barns, the Niagara Falls Exchange, and Baker Street Development, Torza's lecture will highlight ways to align sustainability objectives with limited budgets in the context of community-focused revitalization.

Sponsored by Tremco, Torza's lecture is free and open to all. Participants will be eligible for 2 Structured Learning Hours. Part of the B.E.S.T. Lecture Series.

Image of Evergreen Brickworks via DTAH

Daniels Faculty alumna, Yupin Lee (MArch 2018), is a featured speaker at TEDxUofT.

Li, who is currently an Intern Architect at Adamson Associates Architects in Toronto, received a Toronto Urban Design Award in 2017 for her project, “Flex,” a flexible, midrise building that could accommodate growing families. Her proposal captured the attention of a variety of media, including CBC, VICE, BlogTO, and Now magazine.

TEDxUofT was created to bring together “the brightest minds in the University of Toronto community to spark conversation and connection.” Scheduled for March 23, Li’s talk is part of the day-long event, Spectrum, held at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts.

Li's lecture will focus on Toronto’s housing industry.

From the TedxUofT website:

The city of Toronto is one of the most diverse cities in Canada mostly due to its sense of “livability”. As the city grows and the population increases, there are numerous novel urban challenges that Toronto is currently facing. Urbanism affects everyone and involves a multidisciplinary approach.
 

Li’s interests include the urban fabric and the complexities of high-density living. She is currently working on commercial high-rise architecture and hopes to create meaningful change in the city of Toronto.

Tickets to Spectrum are available for purchase from TEDxUofT’s website.
 

A team of Daniels Faculty alumni have collaborated on a new immersive art installation which seeks to provide insight into the experience of immigrants and refugees. Museum II is an installation which recreates the journey from home to a foreign land experienced by many when they first arrive in Canada. Novka Cosovic (MArch 2013) & Andres Bautista (MArch 2013) say their piece attempts to examine the intersection of architecture and trauma.

The pair first collaborated on a piece for Toronto’s Nuit Blanche in 2016 entitled Museum. “We built a pool for the festival, an empty pool that was once used as a makeshift morgue during the Yugoslavian War,” explains Cosovic. “In this new project, we're presenting an airport and bedroom for Myseum of Toronto's Intersection Festival, called Museum II. Many Torontonians had to live in functioning airports for weeks, upon arriving to Canada. Before that, they had to sleep with sounds of bullets and explosions in their own bedrooms.”

Cosovic further explains that the intent of the project was the examine the impact of conflict on the individual. “We're building these installations because we want to examine trauma from war and political conflicts, through architecture and shared experiences across Toronto's immigrant and refugee communities,” she elaborates.

Museum II is part of the Myseum of Toronto's Intersection Festival, and will be open to the public for one month (March 2 to March 29), at the Toronto Media Arts Centre (32 Lisgar Street, Toronto.) There will also be a public opening reception on Saturday March 2, between 5-7 PM at the Toronto Media Arts Centre.

A Daniels Faculty alumna recently collaborated with an local artist to create a unique three-dimensional installation for the Pulp Art Party 2019, as part of Design TO Festival.

Ripple Effect was created by Natalia Bakaeva and Xiao Sunny Li (MArch 2014) The pair describes their work as follows in their artists’ statement:

The art installation is a composition of re-purposed cardboard tubes that create a formation of extruded circles. Each element exists in symbiosis with its surroundings, producing “Ripple Effect”. A structure of 5’x 5’ in size is suspended from space within the opening of the existing skylight, creating a gathering place under it, for viewers to look up and explore generated “landscape”.

This installation is a representation of the module that could be endlessly repeated and serves as a multiplier, another meaning of “Ripple Effect”. Floodlights, likely in a red or purple tone, illuminating it from above will aid the visual impact of the piece.

The cardboard tubes are donated by various entities, such as architectural offices, printing shops, households, etc. They are reused in a new way to create an overhead installation that is hanging on fishing lines which makes it a stand-alone floating object. Fasteners are repurposed from previous artworks.

The Pulp Art Party is an annual event which runs as part of the Design TO Festival. This year the event sought to raise money for Jubilee Designs, a street-involved youth employment and art program at Evergreen Centre at the Yonge Street Mission.

On January 29^th the Master of Landscape Architecture students participated in the Daniels Faculty’s Student-Professionals Networking Event, hosted in collaboration with the Ontario Association of Landscape Architects (OALA), represented by president Jane Welsh (MSc, Planning 2000) and former president Doris Chee (BLA 1984).

This annual event provides students with the opportunity to meet with landscape architecture professionals, ask questions about their practice, and gain knowledge of their prospective career paths. Since its inception a few years ago, this event has helped to usher our students into the world of professional networking, providing a crucial link between the academic and working worlds.

MLA students from all years were encouraged to attend, and the event provides value for people at all levels of their development. Elf Ozcelik, a 1^st year MLA student, praised the event for allowing a perceptive shift. "Before coming here, my understanding of professionals was that they're unapproachable, but with this networking event, I understood that they are interested in us as students at U of T,” Ozcelik explains. “They were very approachable, and this really helped break that anxiety of post grad and some internship worries.”

Lousia Kennet, another 1^st year MLA student, says the event opened her eyes to the breadth of the field. "What this event made me realize was how diverse the field of Landscape Architecture is, and how there is something for everyone,” says Kennet.

“The success of this event is due to the meaningful contributions of our alumni community and participating firms.The Daniels Faculty would like to thank all the professionals who generously donated their time to meet and share advice with our students:

Elyse Parker - City of Toronto

Jane Welsh - City of Toronto Environmental Planning

Kiran Chhiba - Dillon Consulting Limited

Bryce Miranda - DTAH

Aina Elias - Elias +

Angela Chieh - Forrec Ltd.

Gordon Dorrett - Forrec Ltd.

Louis Vicic - Forrec Ltd.

David Leonardo - Garcia HOK

Doris Chee - Hydro One Networks Inc.

Darlene Broderick - IBI Group

Neno Kovacevic - IBI Group

Nicholas Gosselin - Janet Rosenberg & Studio Inc

Todd Smith - IBI Group

Caroline Cosco - Ontario Ministry of the Environment

René Fan - PLANT Architect Inc.

Marc Ryan - Public Work

Mark Schollen - Schollen & Co

Jim Vafiades - Stantec

Samar Zarifa - Terraplan Landscape Architects

Zhuofan Wan - Terraplan Landscape Architects

Jana Joyce - The MBTW Group

Michelle Lu - The MBTW Group

Tonya Crawford - The Planning Partnership

Sheila Boudreau - Toronto Region and Conservation Authority

Viive Kittask - Vertechs Design Inc.

Matt Perotto - Hargreaves Associates

Lesley MacAulay - Lesley B. MacAulay Landscape Design + Planning

Last year, Peter Kitchen (MArch 2016) took part in the Daniels Faculty’s Student-Professionals Networking event for the first time as a professional. Now an Intern Architect with KPMB, Kitchen looked forward to providing guidance to graduate students — after all, it wasn’t that long ago that he was a student himself. Undergraduate student Tina Siassi (BA, Architectural Studies, 2019) spoke to Kitchen about his emerging career, tips for current students, and how the Daniels Faculty prepared him for life after school.

What was the best piece of advice that you received when attending the networking event as a student?
It was a number of years ago, but I recall learning about the importance of making connections in the industry and building relationships with architects at other firms and participating in your community and network.

Did you work on making connections before graduation? Did they prove fruitful?
I did an internship the summer before graduating, which lead to a full-time position.

Attending the student-professionals networking event as a professional, what was the most challenging question to answer?
The most challenging question was: “how can a student or recent grad differentiate themselves from the competition?” It is a competitive field once you graduate and begin searching for employment. There is no single answer; however, it depends on what your skills are and I would suggest curating your work to your strengths; offices will notice.

How did the Daniels Faculty’s Master of Architecture program prepare you for life after graduation?
Daniels has a large cross-section of faculty that come from a wide variety of creative backgrounds, so as a student, if you are able to foster those relationships and use them as a resource it can help you understand which direction you want to go in — whether it is something academic and research-based versus working on larger public realm projects or private residential homes. I think that is an advantage U of T offers.

What is the one piece of advice that you would give to current students who are looking for jobs?
Research the offices you are interested in working with to understand what they have to offer in terms of your growth as a designer and pursue opportunities that align with your actual interests and skills.

What events or extracurricular activities do you think would be valuable for current students to get involved in to better their chances of success after school?
There are so many things you can do! There are certainly the lectures, both the Daniels lectures and external ones, including those organized by the Toronto Society of Architects where you can easily become a member. Being aware of what is going on in the city is important — new projects and construction are on every block. Look into the planning background of the buildings you see going up and how it contributes to the architecture around us. You can also attend public hearings and reviews for more exposure to some of these designs. All of these activities will expose you to design professionals within the industry and you can make meaningful connections this way.

On January 11, the Daniels Faculty was pleased to host friends and family of Dr. Eberhard Zeidler (Hon. DArch 1989) and Mrs. Jane Zeidler (MA 1989) to recognize the couple’s remarkable philanthropy and investment in the University of Toronto.

Thanks to a generous gift from Eberhard and Jane, the Daniels Faculty has been able to make a significant investment in the revitalization of One Spadina Crescent and its new library and reading room, which have been named the Eberhard Zeidler Library and Zeidler Family Reading Room in their honour.

“I can say with confidence that this is now the most extensive and nicest library within a school of architecture in Canada,” said Dean Richard Sommer at the celebratory event.

The new Eberhad Zeidler Library in the Daniels Building is part of the University of Toronto Library system, which is the largest in Canada and third-largest in North America, after Harvard and Yale. With resources in both analog and digital, it features more than 37,000 volumes — including periodicals and journals, as well as maps, drawings, and manuscripts — that focus on contemporary architecture and design. There is also a dedicated space for the Faculty’s treasured special collections.

“As Canada’s oldest and leading school of architecture in Canada, it was very important to create an inspiring physical space for our collections embedded within our new school,” said Dean Sommer. “Though the study and practice of architecture has changed significantly, books and the spaces that contain them still matter — maybe even more than before. Architecture requires the study of precedents and traditions to inform, challenge, and advance the discipline and, alongside buildings and landscapes, books embody and preserve certain histories”

Photos 1 & 4 by John Horner; Photos 2 & 3 by Nic Lehoux

The Zeidler Family Reading Room provides a quiet place for reflection and study in what was once the refectory of the Knox College Theological Seminary, built in 1875. Thanks to Eberhard and Jane’s generosity, the Daniels Faculty has been able to extend the public hours into the evening and remain open 24/7 for its students. Members of the surrounding community and design professionals are regulars here, inspiring the Faculty to explore ways to build on these learning and enrichment opportunities with the new Daniels Building.

“Well before the dedication of these spaces, the name and influence of Eberhard Zeidler was firmly ensconced in the school’s history, as it is in this city and country,” said Dean Sommer. An internationally recognized architect, Dr. Zeidler is well known in Toronto and beyond for designing the Toronto Eaton’s Centre and Ontario Place, among other prominent sites. “Together, Eb and Jane have been a consistent highly-engaged and supportive presence at the school over many years, attending design reviews, critiques, public lectures, and symposia.”

The couple’s previous gifts include the establishment of the Eberhard Zeidler Scholarship which provides essential support to our students. As philanthropists to the University of Toronto, their benevolence includes investments in the visual arts and early childhood development.

Eberhard received an honorary Doctor of Architecture from the University of Toronto in 1989, following many years of professional practice and teaching in the University of Toronto’s architecture program, first as a visiting lecturer and critic, and then as an Adjunct Professor from 1983 to 1995. Jane attained a Master of Arts degree in Art History from U of T in 1989.

Architecture, design, and the art of cities is a family affair. Daughter, Margie, is a respected alumna of the Daniels Faculty, receiving her Bachelor of Architecture degree from U of T in 1987. Their other children, Robert, Kate, and Christina have made their own contributions to the built environment and civic life.

To mark the occasion, guests at the January 11 celebratory event were invited to sign a copy of Dr. Zeidler’s recent book Buildings, Cities, Life. A copy of this book with its dedications will be proudly displayed in the Eberhard Zeidler Library’s collections.

New to Toronto’s historic Gladstone Hotel is the launch of the installation Connect by Daniels alumna Safoura Zahedi (MArch 2016). The immersive installation was part of Gladstone’s yearly group exhibition, Come Up to My Room, and will be exhibited for a full year as an artist-designed meeting room.

Connect, is part of Zahedi's independent experimental design series "Beyond the Surface," and explores geometry and its potential as a contemporary, universal design language. Using two-dimensional geometry to create three-dimensional spatial experiences through the principles of fractal geometry, Connect exhibits the subtle and meaningful order of our universe by reflecting the unseen, transporting the viewer from immersion in the mundane to serene contemplation.

Zahedi currently works at an award-winning architecture studio based in Toronto. Her independent work explores geometry through a process of merging traditional analogue design methods with contemporary digital technology.

"Toronto’s Safoura Zahedi is one of DesignTO’s breakaway voices," writes Azure in its online article "10 Canadian Talents We Loved at IDS Toronto and DesignTO."

Connect was made possible by the generous support of Daniels alumni as well as  Assistant Professor Brady Peters

Images, top, courtesy of Safoura Zahedi

Photo above by Sean Galbraith

Photo courtesy of Ontario Place

Image above: Rendering of Stellar Spactra by Dionisios Vriniotis and Rob Shostak (MArch 2010)

4. Explore Winter Stations at Woodbine Beach. Colourful, interactive installations will bring crowds to the beach again this winter starting in February. Be sure to check out Cavalcade, by Master of Architecture students John Nguyen, Anton Skorishchenko, Abubakr Bajaman, and Stephen Baik, and Assistant Peofessor Victor Perez-Amado, The installations will be revealed on February 13th and remain on display until April 1st, 2019.

For more information, visit Winter Stations website. 

Image above: Rendering of Cavalcade by John Nguyen, Anton Skorishchenko, Abubakr Bajaman, and Stephen Baik and Assistant Peofessor Victor Perez-Amado

Image above by Bob Gundu

A pair of Daniels Faculty alumni recently received an honorable mention from Eleven Magazine’s “Shaking Up Havana’s Malecon” design competition.

The competition posed a unique challenge: to re-imagine Cuba’s iconic Malecon esplanade road, which runs alongside Havana for five miles, serving as both a key piece of traffic infrastructure and vital defense against flooding.

Participants were required to consider the following priorities in their proposals: “protection in the form of a renewed sea defence, engagement in the form of new cultural social spaces along the Malecon, and identity in the form of resurrecting an old icon back to life and defining a new beginning for Havana in the 21st century.”

Master of Landscape Architecture graduates Xiru Chen (MLA 2012) and Stella Yuan Lin (MLA 2014) received an honourable mention for their submission “Malecon Rhapsody”.

The team explains their innovative and naturalistic approach to the challenge in the project summary: The MALECÓN RHAPSODY addresses Havana’s vulnerability to coastal flooding with a protective ribbon along Malecón. The 8 km-long landscape infrastructure incorporates public space with the storm and wave surge defense systems. This also creates architectural elements, amenities, energy generation stations, and food production hubs that provide the locally needed cultural, recreational, and socio-economic benefits.

Xiru Chen says that their interest in the project resulted from a meaningful trip to visit Cuba. “We were both fascinated by the colorful landscape, passionate culture and complex history of Cuba,” she explains. “The scope of the competition, to create a renewed sea defence, and act as new cultural social spaces, is also very attractive to us.”

She further explains that the process of working on the project helped them to recall the broader thinking learned during their time at Daniels. “This process reminded us of the days when we spent late nights in school working on studio projects,” says Chen. “We both graduated years ago, and the fast pace of real practices rarely allows for deep design thinking. Working on the competition has reminded us of the essentiality of critical thinking in the design process. This award encourages us to remain curious and keep learning.”