John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture

‘Tree Stories' course connects U of T students to nature, history – and themselves

Christopher.Sorensen — Wed, 27 Nov 2024 13:58:09 +0000

‘Tree Stories' course connects U of T students to nature, history – and themselves

Christopher.Sorensen Wed, 11/27/2024 - 08:58

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The 'Tree Stories' course – taught by Professor Alan Ackerman from the Faculty of Arts & Science's department of English – weaves together elements of literature, history, environmental studies and getting to know the local landscape (photo by Diana Tyszko)

Sean McNeely

Topic

Our Community

Department of English

Faculty of Arts & Science

John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture

University College

Subheadline

"Individual trees have such rich history and are often overlooked so it's great to learn about them in this class”

On a recent cool and sunny morning, Alan Ackerman’s class sat under century-old elm trees behind the Whitney Hall residence at the ��߲ݴ�ý’s University College, much like students did over 100 years ago.

The setting in the historic core of the St. George campus was fitting for "Tree Stories," Ackerman’s first-year English course which examines how we imagine trees in literature and art, and what trees can teach us about our place in the world.

“This course aims to get people in touch with their living world and with parts of themselves that have probably atrophied in their digitized lives,” says Ackerman, a professor in the Faculty of Arts & Science’s department of English. “It's a weave of stories, literature, history, environmental studies and getting to know the local landscape.

“For first-year students, it's a wonderful opportunity for them to get to know aspects of Toronto.”

Ackerman holds most of his lectures outside, visiting locations with a rich arboreal history across the St. George campus – which boasts over 3,300 trees including cedar, birch, ash, oak, maple and many others – and around the city.

Alan Ackerman holds most of his lectures outside, visiting locations with a rich arboreal history across the St. George campus and beyond (photo by Diana Tyszko)

“When I heard the class was always going to be outside, I wasn’t looking forward to that aspect,” says Jennifer Wilton, a first-year student and member of Woodsworth College. “But I’ve really come to appreciate the two hours of class in the fresh air.

“And now when I walk past these elms, I feel like I’m walking past something familiar. Individual trees have such rich history and are often overlooked so it's great to learn about them in this class.”

Ackerman has also held classes in the courtyard of Trinity College as well as the courtyard of University College’s Sir Daniel Wilson Hall, where students met with Danijela Puric-Mladenovic, an assistant professor, teaching stream at the Institute of Forestry and Conservation in the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design.

“She gave us a tour around [University College] where she identified a number of different trees and talked about them in relation to each other and to their ecosystem,” says Ackerman.

Alan Ackerman's class meets for a lecture beneath elm trees behind Whitney Hall (photo by Diana Tyszko)

Outside of campus, Ackerman had the students meet at spots at Queen’s Park, the Mount Pleasant Cemetery and Christie Pits Park.

“I’ve talked about Henry David Thoreau's essay, Walking, and how wilderness is not just something far off in the mountains,” says Ackerman. “There’s wilderness we can discover much closer to home.”

One of the course’s most popular outings was a visit to the Spadina Museum and its gardens, near Casa Loma.

“We talked about the history and ecology of those grounds as we picked apples,” says Ackerman. “We read Robert Frost’s poem, After Apple-Picking, and thought about the form and the content of the poem. We talked about other tree stories about apples, like Johnny Appleseed which is based on a real historical person, John Chapman.”

Students gather the dimensions of a century-old elm tree (photo by Diana Tyszko)

Sam Buonassisi, a first-year Rotman Commerce student and member of St. Michael’s College, relished his time at the Spadina Museum.

“It was such a different environment from my regular lectures, and it was just nice to see a new area,” he says. “I recently moved to Toronto from Vancouver to come to U of T, so I hadn’t had many opportunities to see the city. This was one of those opportunities and I really enjoyed it.”

For Ackerman, the course is an extension of his personal interest in the burgeoning field of environmental humanities. It also taps into his appreciation for nature that grew during the COVID pandemic.

“I spent a lot more time outdoors, especially when the pandemic closed everything,” he says. “Trees became vital in my imagination, especially how trees wind their ways through stories.”

The literature the class studied varied as much as the trees they visited, from some of the earliest-known stories – such as the Epic of Gilgamesh and King James Bible – to poems by Emily Dickinson to contemporary writers like Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of Braiding Sweetgrass, and The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben.

“We also read authors, poets, essayists and others from a vast array of time periods, places and cultures, not only to consider differences, but to also gain a sense of what we have in common – not only with other members of our own species but all life on this beautiful planet,” says Ackerman.

Ackerman says the course is an extension of his personal interest in the burgeoning field of environmental humanities (photo by Diana Tyszko)

Students are also encouraged to think about their individual relationships with trees by maintaining a “Tree Diary” and writing weekly about their connection to a specific tree.

“The tree I picked is just outside my dorm, and I picked a younger tree in hopes that it would be a bit unique from some of the ones we talked about. Surprisingly, by the time I get outside and get my journal out, something always pops into my head," says Buonassisi, who adds that he now finds himself noticing trees he wouldn't have paid attention to otherwise.

For Wilton, learning about the history of trees has been a source of comfort on campus. “It makes me feel more at home and much less intimidated by this huge school,” she says.

Ackerman says he hopes the experience leaves a lasting imprint on students’ hearts and minds.

“Years after taking “Tree Stories,” they probably won’t remember the names of poems or poets or their professor, but I hope they retain the sense of being on a journey – in pursuit of not just knowledge but of wisdom.”

Toronto gallerist and art pioneer Jane Corkin receives U of T honorary degree

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 20:32:42 +0000

Toronto gallerist and art pioneer Jane Corkin receives U of T honorary degree Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 11/01/2024 - 16:32

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(photo by Johnny Guatto)

Scott Anderson

Topic

Our Community

Convocation 2024

Faculty of Art & Science

Honorary Degree

John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture

Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy

Victoria College

Woodsworth College

At a time when images have become such a powerful cultural force, it’s odd to think that, as recently as 50 years ago, photography was not commonly considered a serious art form. Many galleries didn’t show it, and the few that did were often considered outsiders.

Jane Corkin has been a driving force in changing perceptions. From the time she began curating in the 1970s, the Toronto gallerist has been championing photographers and their work in Canada and around the world.

Today, for her role as a pioneering gallerist and leading advocate for the art of photography in Canada and abroad, and for helping to make Toronto a hub for modern and contemporary art, Corkin will receive a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, from the ��߲ݴ�ý.

Corkin grew up in Boston, the third of four siblings. Her father, a self-educated, successful entrepreneur and dedicated philanthropist, died when she was 11, casting her into a role, she says, of wanting to make sure the rest of the family “were all OK.”

She recalls getting interested in art as a child, painting after school and taking art lessons. For a birthday, she might receive an art book on Van Gogh or Monet. “Those were great presents for me,” she says. She was also the one who took photos at family get-togethers.

Corkin moved to Canada in 1967 at age 17 to attend Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont. She initially studied political science because, she says, “At a time of unrest, it seemed I should do something more important in the world than just study something I loved.” Those feelings changed, though, and she switched her major to art history, earning a bachelor of arts degree in 1972.

At Queen’s, she took photographs – often portraits – for the student newspaper, the Queen’s Journal, and grew interested in acquiring photographs as artworks. “I started buying pictures when I was at university,” she told the Toronto Star in 2014. “Photographs were not expensive then.”

After graduating, Corkin landed a job at David Mirvish’s gallery on Markham Street in Toronto and continued to shoot portraits in her spare time. On a trip to New York, she met the Hungarian-American photographer André Kertész, known for his photo essays and unusual camera angles.

Inspired, Corkin organized the Mirvish Gallery’s first-ever photography exhibition. She began representing photographers for the gallery, and several years later, after Mirvish closed shop, Corkin took over that part of the business. So, it seemed a natural next step to open her own gallery, focusing on photography – which she did in 1979. Corkin Gallery was located in a one-time shoe factory on Front Street – far from Yorkville, then the nucleus of Toronto’s art scene.

(photo by Johnny Guatto)

Opening a gallery dedicated to photography wasn’t an obvious decision. “Photography was considered a new media,” Corkin told Artoronto.ca in 2019. “Even [now renowned artists such as] Nan Goldin and Diane Arbus were part of the outsider movement. There were not many people who understood the art that I was showing.”

Because Corkin represented photographers and demonstrated a willingness to show other “unusual” artforms such as ceramics and furniture, she says was considered a renegade within Toronto art circles: “I was doing something different.”

As a young gallerist, Corkin was naturally drawn to emerging artists and believed in connecting artists from different places who are asking similar questions. ‘We are always thinking about artists who live and work here in Toronto within a context of international artists,” she says.

Her efforts got noticed. It wasn’t long after her gallery opened that Maclean’s magazine dubbed her Canada’s “first lady of photography.” Now, decades into her career, she still bristles with energy – with one Toronto Star interviewer suggesting she’s a testament to the adage: “Do something you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.”

Of course, like any entrepreneur, Corkin has experienced her share of business challenges. She’s worked hard in Canada to build a culture of appreciation around fine art like the one that exists in Europe. “Canada isn't a country where people think they need art,” she says, adding that she believes this is a missed opportunity.

“I think it’s so important to the whole human being,” she says, “to see art and to really look at it. To put away your cell phone, turn it off and stare at something and have it speak to you.”

It’s among the messages she hopes that graduating students from the Faculty of Arts & Science, the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design, and the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy will take away from her remarks today in Convocation Hall.

In 2000, Corkin began looking for a new gallery space and eventually found one she loved in Toronto’s Distillery District. Her new gallery still shows photography, but also contemporary artists in all media.

And, two years ago, Corkin was appointed to the board of trustees of the International Center of Photography in New York – a role that underscores her contributions to the international art community and her ongoing commitment to advancing the cultural fabric of Canada and beyond.

In photos: U of T marks opening of Indigenous landscape project at Hart House Green

rahul.kalvapalle — Fri, 27 Sep 2024 13:34:50 +0000

In photos: U of T marks opening of Indigenous landscape project at Hart House Green

rahul.kalvapalle Fri, 09/27/2024 - 09:34

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The pathway that extends along the east side of Ziibiing follows the trail of Taddle Creek, a buried stream running under the St. George campus that once served as a gathering place for Indigenous Peoples (photo by Polina Teif)

Rahul Kalvapalle

Topic

Our Community

Ziibiing

Indigenous Initiatives

John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture

Landmark

Truth and Reconciliation

Subheadline

The Ziibiing space includes a central pavilion, amphitheatre and plantings of medicinal trees and shrubs

The ��߲ݴ�ý commemorated the official opening of Ziibiing, an Indigenous landscape project that uses architecture, horticulture and storytelling to honour Indigenous cultures and provide a space for community members to gather, learn and host ceremonies on the St. George campus.

The opening celebration for Ziibiing, held Monday Sept. 23, included a traditional Elder’s opening, a welcome song and the burning of a sacred fire – the first fire to be lit in Ziibiing’s pavilion and one of several Indigenous ceremonial practices that are welcome on all three U of T campuses.

Here’s how the event unfolded through the lens of U of T photographers:

(photo by Polina Teif)

Michael White, director of First Nations House, tends to the sacred fire in the Ziibiing pavilion as Jenny Blackbird, resource centre and programs co-ordinator at First Nations House, looks on.

Ceremonial fires, smudging and pipe ceremonies are among the important Indigenous practices that take place on U of T’s three campuses.

(photo by Polina Teif)

Blackbird performs a traditional song to welcome U of T community members to the celebration.

(photo by Polina Teif)

The vision for Ziibiing was developed by an Indigenous Advisory Committee in collaboration with the Indigenous Design Studio at Brook McIlroy, who in turn consulted with Indigenous students, faculty, staff, the Council of Indigenous Initiatives Elders' Circle and representatives of local First Nations.

The project was born out of Answering the Call: Wecheehetowin, the final report of the Steering Committee for the ��߲ݴ�ý Response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, which outlined the need for dedicated Indigenous spaces on campus.

From left: James Bird and Shannon Simpson (photos by Polina Teif)(photo by Polina Teif)

Several members of the U of T community spoke at the event.

“Our voices, traditions and histories are woven into the fabric of this new landscape, sending a clear signal that we are seen, that we matter and that we belong,” said Shannon Simpson, senior director of the Office of Indigenous Initiatives and a member of the Mississaugas of Alderville First Nation, in her remarks at the ceremony.

(photo by Polina Teif)

Ziibiing is named for the Anishinaabemowin word for “river,” a reference to the Taddle Creek waterway that once flowed through the area and served as a gathering place for Indigenous Peoples.

It’s an example of how Indigenous design and Western architectural disciplines can come together to assist in placemaking, according to James Bird, a Knowledge Keeper from the Nehiyawak and Dene Nation and PhD candidate in the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design.

“In the practice of architecture, there are ways one can approach the creation of space and its activation through design," said Bird. “This alternative viewpoint assigns agency to the metaphysical aspects that exist within Indigenous cultures and in turn allows metaphysical relationships to be made into physical form.”

(photo by Polina Teif)

In her remarks to the event’s attendees, Kelly Hannah-Moffat, U of T’s vice-president, people strategy, equity and culture, said that, in addition to serving a vital role as a teaching and ceremonial space for Indigenous students, employees and Elders, Ziibiing will encourage the entire U of T community to “find innovative ways to Indigenize this institution.”

She noted the space has already hosted a recent land-based learning workshop that invited members of the U of T community to deepen their understanding of Indigenous world views, teachings and connections to the land. The workshop was organized by the Office of Indigenous Initiatives, with future sessions scheduled for Oct. 22 and Nov. 19.

(photo by Polina Teif)

The Ziibiing pavilion is supported by 13 columns that symbolize the 13 moons of the year. They circle a fire pit where ceremonial fires may be lit and maintained by Indigenous firekeepers.

(photo by David Lee)

The creation of Ziibiing took place alongside the Landmark Project, which aimed to revitalize the historic core of the St. George campus.

Scott Mabury, U of T’s vice-president, operations and real estate partnerships, said U of T community members have already embraced Ziibiing, as well as the other new spaces, as evidenced by their increased use of the reimagined landscapes.

“We didn’t know what we didn’t have before,” he said.

U of T urban studies course explores wildfire response in Canada's North

Christopher.Sorensen — Mon, 12 Aug 2024 19:57:57 +0000

U of T urban studies course explores wildfire response in Canada's North

Christopher.Sorensen Mon, 08/12/2024 - 15:57

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Clouds of smoke billow into the air as forest fires burn in the Northwest Territories in 2015, leaving trees damaged and charred (photo by Sherry Galey via Getty Images)

Cynthia Macdonald

Topic

Our Community

School of Cities

Faculty of Arts & Science

Geography and Planning

Graduate Students

Innis College

John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture

Subheadline

As part of a graduate seminar, students and professors visited Yellowknife to study the city's 2023 wildfire evacuation with an eye to informing future policy recommendations

Wildfires such as the one that devastated Jasper, Alta., in July are becoming ever more common in Canada due to increased record-high temperatures and drought conditions associated with climate change.

One year ago, it was Yellowknife that found itself under threat, forcing a near-complete evacuation of its 20,000 residents. Unlike Jasper, Yellowknife's homes and businesses were ultimately saved from destruction, but the Northwest Territories capital is nevertheless reviewing its wildfire response plans so it will be better prepared in the future.

And the city is receiving valuable assistance from the ��߲ݴ�ý.

Professors and graduate students from the urban studies program at Innis College recently visited the city to research disaster response policies and make suggestions on possible improvements.

“We ended up designing a course that provided a retrospective on the evacuation experience as it related to government officials and the non-profit sector,” says David Roberts, an associate professor, teaching stream, in the department of geography and planning in the Faculty of Arts & Science and director of the urban studies program.

“The students are now working on projects that will provide policy recommendations for the future.”

The view over Yellowknife’s Old Town (supplied image)

This seminar, which was also taught by Assistant Professor Aditi Mehta, is one of several Multidisciplinary Urban Graduate Seminars (MUGS) being offered by U of T’s School of Cities.

Roberts and Mehta created the class in consultation with Rebecca Alty, Yellowknife’s mayor and a visiting expert, or Canadian Urban Leader, at the School of Cities.

Mehta says that the seminar’s multidisciplinary nature was key to crafting a well-rounded response to the crisis.

“We were very deliberate in picking students from different disciplines so that we could create knowledge and think about what happened from different perspectives,” she says, adding that students who successfully applied came from backgrounds including geography and planning, forestry, anthropology, landscape architecture and public health.

The seminar’s participants pose for a group photo at the Bush Pilot’s Monument in Yellowknife (supplied image)

The 10 graduate students visited sites and interviewed government officials, community organizations, residents and Indigenous leaders. They explored how to build improved communication infrastructure in the city and investigated the connections between a local housing crisis and climate change.

They also studied how Indigenous Peoples, including members of the Dene Nation living in Yellowknife, suffer disproportionate harms due to wildfire. Research shows that while 12 per cent of the entire Canadian population is at risk, that number rises to 32 per cent for on-reserve First Nations communities.

Léo Jourdan, who is completing his master of science degree in forestry at the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design, says the seminar provided him with an opportunity to examine wildfire science from a different angle.

“The research we do in our lab has to do with wildfires, but from a scientific point of view – in the sense that we try to answer ecological questions about the origins of these fires. So this class was a great opportunity to broaden my perspective and learn more about the human side of wildfires, and I think it did an amazing job.”

Jourdan explains that most wildfires are a natural – and necessary – phenomenon. “A lot of the forest in Canada co-evolved with fires, and their ecosystems would not function without them,” he says. “The issue we’re facing now, however, is that the wildfires are getting more intense and the communities closer.”

The seminar group enjoyed the city’s culinary and cultural offerings (supplied image)

For Lilian Dart, the course offered an opportunity to explore her twin interests in environmental justice and housing policy.

“One of the focuses was to look at how people experiencing homelessness were evacuated,” says Dart, a PhD student in the department of geography and planning.

She notes that in the wake of the wildfire evacuation, a team from professional services firm KPMG conducted an audit that revealed significant holes in the system that allowed vulnerable populations to fall through.

“People without housing, for example, did not have social safety supports that other people did,“ she says. “They also had comorbidities that affected their health, making them even more vulnerable.”

Dart’s final assignment for the course is a policy paper that examines this issue. “My recommendations are mostly to do with how the municipality can better support service organizations in their collaboration with one another. How can resources be co-ordinated? And how can people work together to ensure a more organized response?”

Jourdan, for his part, is proposing that Yellowknife adopt the principles of FireSmart, a national program that leads the development of programs and resources to help Canadians increase their resilience to wildfires.

Mehta says Yellowknife’s mayor provided the group from U of T with some recommendations of her own. “She gave an important critique of planning education in our country, noting that people rarely study the problems that cities in northern Canada are facing,” Mehta says. “Instead, we are overly focused on big cities like Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.”

Roberts says that the policy recommendations written by Dart, Jourdan and the other students will be offered “not just to the mayor, but to everyone else we talked to – those working in the non-profit field and at the territorial level, as well as those who work with the Dene.

“We’re now thinking about other ways of presenting this information, such as returning to Yellowknife to ensure that the dialogue we’ve started is able to continue.”

Renowned architect Bruce Kuwabara receives U of T honorary degree

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 19:40:50 +0000

Renowned architect Bruce Kuwabara receives U of T honorary degree Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 06/20/2024 - 15:40

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(photo by Steve Frost)

Topic

John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture

One of Canada’s most distinguished architects, Bruce Kuwabara has designed some of the country’s finest structures. An accomplished city-builder, he is also a valued campus-builder – a ��߲ݴ�ý alum who has helped shape the university’s development and contributed to the success of the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design.

Today, for his superlative architectural and design sensibility, and for his outstanding contributions to the university, Kuwabara will receive a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, from U of T.

Born in Hamilton, Ont in 1949, Kuwabara earned a degree in architecture from U of T in 1972. After graduating, he joined the teaching studio of architect George Baird, whose interest in public spaces, Jane Jacobs and Scandinavian urban design influenced how Kuwabara thought about city-building. (Decades later, Baird would serve as dean of the Daniels Faculty.)

Following the apprenticeship with Baird, Kuwabara joined Barton Myers Associates, where he worked for 12 years. When Myers left in 1987, he handed over his Toronto practice to Kuwabara and two of his fellow associates at the firm – Marianne McKenna and Shirley Blumberg – and a friend, Thomas Payne. Together, they created the new firm KPMB. (Payne ventured out on his own in 2013, but the remaining principals kept the “P.”)

As an architect – and a citizen – Kuwabara is deeply engaged with how architecture and landscape design can work together to bring about a more diverse, equitable and sustainable city. In his projects, he aims to marry performance with aesthetics in ways that improve people’s well-being, while also being kind to the planet. His philosophy is visible in the evolution of Waterfront Toronto and U of T, where he has helped steer design choices to create a greater number of beautiful and vibrant public spaces.

(photo by Steve Frost)

His work in Toronto includes cultural and academic institutions such as the Gardiner Museum, the Rotman School of Management, Canada’s National Ballet School and TIFF Bell Lightbox, in which he often blends contemporary details with historical elements. His designs for Kitchener City Hall, Richmond City Hall and Vaughan City Hall have all won Governor General’s Medals in Architecture. “What’s important to [KPMB] is to be very consistently good,” Kuwabara told the Globe and Mail in 2014.

Larry Richards (who has also served as dean of the Daniels Faculty) wrote in Canadian Architect that “Kuwabara’s agenda is not just about making objects and places of great beauty but something more active, more profound. Something that is simultaneously both culturally stabilizing and transforming.”

As part of his creative process, Kuwabara still sketches every day, putting ideas onto paper at every stage of design. In an interview with the CBC earlier this year, he described what he does as a “tug of war” between his “intuition about what things should be like” and “the reality of not having it all figured out…. For me, it’s a way of tracking thought.”

His colleagues have tried to convince him to switch to a computer or tablet, but he prefers the old-fashioned way. “The key,” he told the CBC, “is to find a way to slow things down so you can actually make a really good decision ... There’s so much flux, there’s so much confusion, there’s so much thrown at you every single day.”

In Kuwabara’s body of work, it’s difficult to discern a single, unifying “look.” Globe and Mail architecture critic Alex Bozikovic observed two commonalities in his 2014 article: “an intense attention to the public realm” (such as creating spaces for people to gather) and “carefully conceived details and material choices.”

“Those two impulses – to look out to the city and inward to small things – have been KPMB’s since the beginning,” Bozikovic wrote.

Even before climate change became the high-profile issue it is today, Kuwabara found ways to integrate sustainability into his practice. As the principal designer for the Canadian Embassy in Berlin, he studied international strategies for reducing energy consumption, and continued to put the ideas into use when he returned home.

The foundation for his commitment to sustainability formed early. In his 2006 acceptance speech for the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada Gold Medal (the country’s highest award for architecture), Kuwabara made a connection between the tropical fish he kept as a child and his green mindset: “Aquariums are finite ecologies, fragile environments within which everything needs to be balanced and maintained,” he said.

In his convocation address to this year’s architecture graduates, Kuwabara encouraged them to think about the challenges of the day. “We have a collective responsibility as architects, landscape architects, urban designers, visual artists and foresters to engage with the issues of our time. We can only be contemporary. Your area of study will be meaningful if it serves the needs of society and the world.

“Develop your natural intelligence while asking what you can do to enhance the lives of others. Keep working towards making the world we want. Keep reminding yourself to move beyond ‘what’s good for me is all that counts.’ Keep thinking and acting in citizenship.”

Kuwabara is an officer of the Order of Canada. His firm, KPMB, has won 18 Governor General Awards, with Kuwabara himself the lead partner on 14 of the winning projects.

Architecture graduate finds inspiration for community-building in mentorship and representation

siddiq22 — Mon, 12 Jun 2023 19:45:39 +0000

Architecture graduate finds inspiration for community-building in mentorship and representation

siddiq22 Mon, 06/12/2023 - 15:45

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New graduate Zanira Ali plans to continue mentoring other young people as she pursues an architecture career rooted in community engagement (supplied image)

Tina Adamopoulos

Topic

Our Community

Black Research Network

Convocation 2023

Community

Graduate Students

John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture

Mentorship

Subheadline

'I want to be that person for someone': When Zanira Ali didn't see role models in her field, she decided to lead by example

Zanira Ali chose the ��߲ݴ�ý to pursue her master’s studies in architecture because it was a place that she could explore her community-based approach to the field.

“I enjoy the community engagement aspect of architecture. I want to understand and hear from communities about how they interact with public spaces,” Ali says.

Ali is graduating with a master’s degree from the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design, determined to continue work that fuses advocacy for communities and architecture. Most importantly, she has her sights on making her mark – and impact – in mentorship within the field.

As a graduate, Ali was a mentee with the nonprofit Black Architects and Interior Design Association (BAIDA), where she was paired with a mentor from Diamond Schmitt Architects. The program gave her a chance to enhance her portfolio and ask questions about the field.

During her time at U of T, Ali became heavily involved in mentoring students interested in a career in architecture through the faculty. For her, it was important that students saw representation in the field.

“Growing up, it was difficult for me to find mentors – I didn’t see anyone or know of someone who looked like me and studied architecture. I want to be that person for someone who is interested in the field.” Ali says.

Ali volunteered with Somali Scholars, an organization that provides mentorship for Somali youth and undergraduates. She was also a mentor with the Building Black Success Through Design (BBSD) program, a 12-week workshop series which offers weekly sessions for Black high school students interested in architecture to be mentored by Daniels Faculty students.

Ali’s thesis project demonstrated how funds could be redistributed to create neighbourhoods full of opportunity for communities that rely on public housing (photo submitted by Zanira Ali)

The program’s theme this year was "building for belonging." Mentees made sketches and models to envision how to restructure public spaces in Toronto neighbourhoods and understand equity in architecture – a value that is the foundation of Ali’s work.

For her thesis project, presented in April, Ali explored how the architecture of prisons contributes to oppression. When she considered her thesis topic, Ali knew that she wanted to shine a light on the social aspects in architecture not typically highlighted in the field, which led her to base her project on the critique of design.

“It’s about critiquing the spaces of confinement and control that are designed by architects. These are spaces that specifically affect racialized, Black and Indigenous communities in Canada,” Ali says.

For example, the Toronto South Detention Centre cost $700 million to build – money that could instead go toward community services to build vibrant neighbourhoods and housing, Ali explains. Using this as a source of inspiration, she developed a project titled “The $69-Million Block” for her thesis presentation.

Ali designed a model neighbourhood featuring 20 row houses and services such as a school, community centre, library and a park to demonstrate how funds could be redistributed to create neighbourhoods full of opportunity for communities that rely on public housing.

“By using those numbers, I was able to add up to $69 million to create this community block. This demonstrates how one detention centre could build nine of these community blocks – and that’s how we should be allocating the funds.”

By exemplifying how funding can be streamed to strengthen communities, Ali built a case as to why prison reform is needed to break the cycle of overrepresentation of minority groups in Toronto’s incarceration system.

After convocation, Ali plans to seek out opportunities to further her passion for social justice, equity and architecture and will continue her role as a mentor with Somali Scholars and the BBSD program.

Ali says mentoring has given her an opportunity to learn from others, and also help youth from underrepresented groups succeed – something she wants to continue throughout her career.

“I’d like to use my experience here to further my interest in community engagement," she says.

"I’d also like to continue my thesis in the field and use architectural tools to explore the injustices in the realm of architecture and public spaces.”

Ali's advice for incoming students is to remember that personal connections are just as important as academics – and it’s important to find the balance in both.

“Join a club or association to connect with different people," she says.

"Be open to trying new things – even though it may seem hard at first, especially in your first year. It will be worth it in the end.”

Sustainable Future – Challenge Accepted! Climate Justice Ep. 4

siddiq22 — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 17:35:35 +0000

Sustainable Future – Challenge Accepted! Climate Justice Ep. 4 siddiq22 Thu, 06/01/2023 - 13:35

Topic

Our Community

Sustainable Future

Waakebiness-Bryce Institute for Indigenous Health

Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Environment

Faculty of Law

Indigenous

John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture

Sustainability

Truth and Reconciliation

How is Indigenous sovereignty and justice fundamental to climate change policy and action?

The fourth episode of the ��߲ݴ�ý’s five-part video series, Sustainable Future - Challenge Accepted!, explores the climate justice work of Indigenous researchers at the university, the challenges they face and how they are leading change.

One way Indigenous communities learn about law is through the land, says John Borrows, professor in the Faculty of Law and inaugural Loveland Chair in Indigenous Law at U of T.

“When I take my students out in the land, they get an opportunity to experience the land directly and hear about the stories, the garments, the water, the birds and the insects,” he says.

To enrich land-based learning, Liat Margolis, associate professor in the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design, and Elder Whabagoon, an Ojibway Elder who is the First Peoples Leadership Advisor to the General Manager of Transportation Services for the City of Toronto and the Daniels Faculty’s former First Peoples Leadership Advisor to the Dean, co-founded the Nikibii Dawadinna Giigwag Youth Program at U of T.

The program provides Indigenous youth with employment, mentorship and pathways to post-secondary education in fields related to design and the environment.

Angela Mashford-Pringle, assistant professor with the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and associate director of the Waakebiness-Bryce Institute for Indigenous Health, says when she teaches her students about land-based learning, she’s telling them about the beliefs of Indigenous health policy as well.

“[It’s] the balance between the spiritual, the emotional, the physical and the mental,” she says.

“That helps students to connect not only to the work, but then they can see how it connects to the world.”

Watch Episode 4 of the Sustainable Future series

U of T launches new tri-campus Minor in Global Leadership

siddiq22 — Thu, 02 Mar 2023 01:43:34 +0000

U of T launches new tri-campus Minor in Global Leadership siddiq22 Wed, 03/01/2023 - 20:43

Tabassum Siddiqui

Topic

Global Lens

Centre for International Experience

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education

John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture

Joseph Wong

U of T Mississauga

U of T Scarborough

The ��߲ݴ�ý is launching a new Minor in Global Leadership that will begin in September 2023.

With a focus on interdisciplinary curricular and experiential opportunities, the tri-campus program aims to prepare students to become globally confident future leaders who recognize and embrace diversity, face challenges with empathy and champion respectful collaboration in a globalized world.

It will be available to students from different disciplines and represents the third element of U of T’s Global U initiative, which also includes the Global Citizen and Global Scholar programs.

“The world needs ethical leadership now more than ever,” said Joseph Wong, U of T’s vice-president, international, noting that U of T is a globally top-ranked institution that draws students from around the world.

"At the same time, opportunities are now global in scope so it’s imperative that our graduates be equipped with the competencies, open-mindedness, curiosity and skills to really lead with impact globally – both here and abroad. The Minor in Global Leadership is an exciting opportunity that offers a unique experience for students looking to develop that expertise."

The program will initially be open to undergraduate students at U of T Mississauga and U of T Scarborough, as well as in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education and the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design.

The minor will include a core series of three global leadership courses to be taken in students’ second, third and fourth years – each delivered by one of U of T's three campuses.

"This will be the first global-focused program at U of T that intentionally brings students together from across our tri-campus, who are studying the full spectrum of our disciplinary offerings, as part of an annual intimate cohort,” said Lynn Tucker, associate dean of experiential and global learning at U of T Scarborough.

“This model opens up the potential for new opportunities and dialogue from which students who are pursuing a range of career pathways will learn together."

U of T Mississauga will host the first of three courses planned for the program. Global Leadership: Past, Present, Futures “will address the evolving concepts both of globalization and leadership – juxtaposing, contextualizing and applying them to the challenges of the 21st century,” said Spyridon Kotsovilis, assistant professor, teaching stream, in the department of political science at U of T Mississauga.

"Increasingly complex and global problems cross borders and affect people at all scales and levels, from the global to the local," Kotsovilis said. "We hope students will come to learn about current global challenges and what it takes to lead in efforts to address them."

At U of T Scarborough, the department of management will be the home base for the program, offering the second core course, Global Leadership: Theory, Research and Practice.

"Students will do a deep dive into global leadership approaches through a set of diverse lenses and explore and develop global competencies through experiential learning opportunities," Tucker said.

"They will engage with experienced leaders in a variety of sectors and grow networks so that upon completion of the program, they will be poised and confident to take the next steps on their unique learning and career journeys."

The final course, a hands-on capstone project, will be based at the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering on the St. George campus.

Students taking the minor will complete the three core courses plus elective courses within each participating division. The courses will be delivered online via synchronous and asynchronous methods and include regular in-person meetings, guest speakers and embedded co-curricular activities.

Beginning in the second week of March, first-year students will be able to apply to the new minor for a second-year start. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the end of April with decisions determined by June. Course registration begins in July.

The program is open to students from the participating faculties who have a modified GPA of 2.7 based on a student’s top 3.0 full-course equivalents. Previous leadership experience is not required, but applicants are expected to have an interest in the study of leadership, global and cultural perspectives, and a willingness to engage with students from diverse backgrounds, experiences and disciplines of study.

Students interested in learning more about the Minor in Global Leadership can attend one of three virtual information sessions on March 8, March 21 or April 12.

A launch event for the new minor will be held at U of T Mississauga on March 6, featuring remarks on global leadership by keynote speakers and reflections on leadership by student speakers representing each campus.

"We want to develop a real esprit de corps among the students as they move through this new program," Wong said. "It’s the kind of network that these students are going to be able to draw on for the rest of their lives – a cohort of leaders who will help shape our global future."

‘Liquid windows’ inspired by squid skin could help buildings save energy

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 31 Jan 2023 16:09:33 +0000

‘Liquid windows’ inspired by squid skin could help buildings save energy

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 01/31/2023 - 11:09

Cutline

Prototypes of a multilayered fluidic system designed by U of T Engineering researchers contain several layers of channels that contain fluids with various optical properties (artist’s impression courtesy of Raphael Kay, Adrian So)

Tyler Irving

Topic

Breaking Research

Alumni

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture

Research & Innovation

Sustainability

Inspired by the dynamic colour-changing skin of organisms such as squid, ��߲ݴ�ý researchers have developed a multilayered fluidic system that can reduce the energy costs of heating, cooling and lighting buildings.

The platform, which optimizes the wavelength, intensity and dispersion of light transmitted through windows, offers much greater control than existing technologies while keeping costs low due to its use of simple, off-the-shelf components.

“Buildings use a ton of energy to heat, cool and illuminate the spaces inside them,” says Raphael Kay, who recently graduated with a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering and is lead author on a new paper published in the journal PNAS.

“If we can strategically control the amount, type and direction of solar energy that enters our buildings, we can massively reduce the amount of work that we ask heaters, coolers and lights to do.”

Currently, certain “smart” building technologies such as automatic blinds or electrochromic windows – which change their opacity in response to an electric current – can be used to control the amount of sunlight that enters the room. But Kay says that these systems are limited: they cannot discriminate between different wavelengths of light, nor can they control how that light gets distributed spatially.

“Sunlight contains visible light, which impacts the illumination in the building – but it also contains other invisible wavelengths, such as infrared light, which we can think of essentially as heat,” he says.

“In the middle of the day in winter, you’d probably want to let in both – but in the middle of the day in summer, you’d want to let in just the visible light and not the heat. Current systems typically can’t do this – they either block both or neither. They also have no ability to direct or scatter the light in beneficial ways.”

Biological inspiration for fluidic multilayer: (A) Colour change in the panther chameleon is achieved using a multilayer architecture of active photonic crystals; (B) Colour change in the squid is achieved using co-ordinated actuations within a multilayer of pigmentary and structural elements.

Developed by Kay and a team led by Associate Professor Ben Hatton, the system leverages the power of microfluidics to offer an alternative. The team also included PhD candidate Charlie Katrycz, both in the department of materials science and engineering, and Alstan Jakubiec, an assistant professor in the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design.

The prototypes consist of flat sheets of plastic that are permeated with an array of millimetre-thick channels through which fluids can be pumped. Customized pigments, particles or other molecules can be mixed into the fluids to control what kind of light gets through – such as visible versus near-infrared wavelengths – and in which direction this light is then distributed.

These sheets can be combined in a multi-layer stack, with each layer responsible for a different type of optical function: controlling intensity, filtering wavelength or tuning the scattering of transmitted light indoors. By using small, digitally controlled pumps to add or remove fluids from each layer, the system can optimize light transmission.

“It’s simple and low-cost, but it also enables incredible combinatorial control. We can design liquid-state dynamic building facades that do basically anything you’d like to do in terms of their optical properties,” Kay says.

The work builds on another system that uses injected pigment, developed by the same team earlier this year. While that study drew inspiration from the colour-changing abilities of marine arthropods, the current system is more analogous to the multilayered skin of squid.

Many species of squid have skin that contains stacked layers of specialized organs – including chromatophores, which control light absorption, and iridophores, which impact reflection and iridescence. These individually addressable elements work together to generate unique optical behaviors that are only possible through their combined operation.

While the U of T Engineering researchers focused on the prototypes, Jakubiec built detailed computer models that analyzed the potential energy impact of covering a hypothetical building in this type of dynamic facade.

The models were informed by physical properties measured from the prototypes. The team also simulated various control algorithms for activating or deactivating the layers in response to changing ambient conditions.

“If we had just one layer that focuses on modulating the transmission of near-infrared light – so not even touching the visible part of the spectrum – we find that we could save about 25 per cent annually on heating, cooling and lighting energy over a static baseline,” says Kay.

“If we have two layers – infrared and visible – it’s more like 50 per cent. These are very significant savings.”

In the most recent study, the control algorithms were designed by humans, but Hatton points out that the challenge of optimizing them would be an ideal task for artificial intelligence – a possible future direction for the research.

“The idea of a building that can learn – that can adjust this dynamic array on its own to optimize for seasonal and daily changes in solar conditions – is very exciting for us,” Hatton says.

“We are also working on how to scale this up effectively so that you could cover a whole building. That will take work but given that this can all be done with simple, non-toxic, low-cost materials, it’s a challenge that can be solved.”

Hatton also hopes that the study will encourage other researchers to think more creatively about new ways to manage energy in buildings.

“Globally, the amount of energy that buildings consume is enormous – it’s even bigger than what we spend on manufacturing or transportation,” he says. “We think making smart materials for buildings is a challenge that deserves a lot more attention.”

In photos: Class of 2020 and Class of 2021 return to U of T

davidlee — Mon, 19 Dec 2022 19:31:39 +0000

In photos: Class of 2020 and Class of 2021 return to U of T

davidlee Mon, 12/19/2022 - 14:31

Cutline

Rotman School of Management alumni gather in Convocation Hall (photo by Neil Ta)

Jenny Rodrigues

Topic

Our Community

2020 & 2021 Graduation Celebrations

Alumni

Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture

Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy

Photographs

Rotman School of Management

Thousands of ��߲ݴ�ý alumni crossed the stage at Convocation Hall over the last two weeks, in a very special series of in-person events to celebrate the classes of 2020 and 2021.

While every member of the Class of 2020 and Class of 2021 graduated during virtual convocations, returning to the university to gather as a community and share in a U of T tradition cheered by friends and family was a chance to make new memories.

“It was my first experience graduating in Canada so I am grateful to have been present and have my moment on stage with all my peers and fellow graduates,” says Mariana Saraiva, who earned an executive MBA degree from the Rotman School of Management in 2020 and returned to celebrate with her classmates last month. “For me, it was extraordinary to return to campus and celebrate what we achieved in person.”

Over the 28 ceremonies, U of T photographers and videographers captured the heartfelt and triumphant moments as alumni donned their gowns, reconnected with their peers and walked across the historic stage.

Members of the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education’s Class of 2020 and 2021 gather at Convocation Hall on Dec. 7 (Photo by Dewey Chang)

U of T Mississauga grads smile alongside Alexandra Gillespie (centre), U of T vice-president and principal of U of T Mississauga. (Photo by Lisa Sakulensky)

Alumnae from the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy pose for a photo and show off their bouquets in front of Convocation Hall. (Photo by Steve Southon)

A pair of alumni from the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering are all smiles at their graduation celebration. (Photo by Tristan McGuirk)

Family and friends embrace outside Convocation Hall at the graduation celebration for the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. (Photo by Dewey Chang)

Jason Bazylak, professor, teaching stream, in the department of mechanical and industrial engineering, carries the Eagle Feather during Faculty of Applied Sciences & Engineering celebrations. (Photo by Tristan McGuirk)

Hey there, grad! An alumnus from the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design waves for the camera. (Photo by Harry Choi)

Wisdom Tettey, U of T vice-president and principal, U of T Scarborough, applauds an alumna as she waves to the crowd and crosses the stage at Convocation Hall. (Photo by Ruilin Yuan)

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In this video, U of T alumni share how it feels to return to the university for their in-person graduation celebrations. (Video by Nicole In)