As the new director of the Daniels Faculty’s Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies (BAAS) program, Assistant Professor Peter Sealy has to take both a day-to-day and a long-term approach to his duties, he says.

“The BAAS program is the Daniels Faculty’s largest, and it takes an immense amount of behind-the-scenes work from many different faculty and staff members to make it run as smoothly as possible,” he notes. “Making sure it does is my first priority.”

At the same time, “the BAAS program’s curriculum dates from the late 2010s. I think now is a good moment to consider what’s working, what needs minor adjustments, and what should be rethought. In particular, I want to make sure that each of the program’s four ‘streams’ is offering its students a wide range of opportunities. This year’s new studio course for comprehensive stream students (ARC 369) is a great beginning.”

Although the 2024/2025 academic year has just begun, Sealy has been thinking about such matters since July 1, when he took over as BAAS director from Petros Babasikas, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream. Babasikas had directed the BAAS program from July of 2021 to July of this year. Until December of 2023, Sealy served as Interim Director of the PhD in Architecture, Landscape, and Design (ALD) program. 

In addition to bolstering the BAAS program’s four streams, Sealy aims, he says, to also broaden the ways in which its students are taught, building on the foundations already in place.

“A major challenge for the BAAS program is to offer excellent teaching in a wide range of formats: large lectures courses, design studios, smaller classes, workshops. While our core required courses offer students a common foundation of shared knowledge, other offerings, such as our senior seminar and capstone projects, summer design builds and studies abroad courses, provide unique experiences.”

It’s the breadth of the program and the possibilities that come with it that thrill Sealy most about his role.

“The BAAS program’s greatest strength is its students,” he says. “Drawn from all over the Greater Toronto Area, Canada and the globe, they bring such a multitude of experiences, interests and skills to bear on everything they do inside and outside the classroom. This is what makes teaching at Daniels so exciting and convinced me to embark upon this new role. In so doing, I am honoured to follow in the footsteps of the previous directors, Professors Jeannie Kim and Petros Babasikas."

Both the University of Toronto and the city around it offer a perfect setting—and springboard—for the program’s students, Sealy adds.

“Toronto’s role as a global, urban metropolis is crucial to Canada’s cultural, ecological and economic future,” he says. “I want to see our students making a difference in shaping this city as it continues to evolve.”

In addition to the BAAS program, the Master of Architecture (MARC) program also saw a change in leadership this past summer. 

Having concluded a one-year Research and Study Leave, Wei-Han Vivian Lee (Associate Professor, Teaching Stream) reassumed the role of MARC director as of July 1. Prior to her leave, Lee (pictured above) had directed the program since July of 2020. 

In her absence, the MARC program had been directed on interim basis by Adrian Phiffer, Associate Professor, Teaching Stream.