ARC465H1 S
Instructor: Reza Nik
Meeting Section: L0101
Winter 2025

A critical study and investigation of “at risk” buildings around the city of Toronto, some of which are in line to be demolished for future development. This is a course about observing the existing fabric of the city through deep research, documentation, drawing, archiving, and in turn imagining alternate outcomes. These buildings once held stories and histories that are culturally significant to the city of Toronto, and we will explore them throughout the semester with various guest lectures and site visits. We will also discuss preservation, conservation and demolition in this growing city. The course will involve research for the first part (including site visits, community engagement, archival research) and speculative creation (through drawings, sculptures and zines) in the second half. We will look at the past, the present and the speculative futures of these sites. This is the fourth iteration of this research.