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Photos by Doublespace Photography at AZURE's Conference on Climate Change Adaptation 

Upcoming Events

Extracurricular

Student Opportunities

Are you a student, graduate, intern or emerging architect focused on making your mark in Canadian architecture? Apply for the RAIC Foundation’s 2026 Scholarships and Bursaries and receive recognition and monetary support for your outstanding work.

In 2026, the Foundation will be awarding 13 different scholarships, bursaries and grants worth a total amount of more than $80,000 to be distributed to 24 recipients!

The Canada Light Expo is taking place on November 12–13, 2025, and students are welcome to attend free of charge. Registration can be completed by visiting the event website: https://canadalightexpo.com/

The event will feature:

• Scavenger hunts with fun and engaging activities

• Networking opportunities with industry professionals

• Learning sessions covering the latest trends and innovations in lighting and creative design

This is a valuable chance for students to expand their networks, learn from industry leaders, and explore creative opportunities!

The Image Centre is hiring part-time Gallery Attendants and are looking for students or recent alumni. 
Contract length: January 13, 2026 - April 4, 2026
Hours of work per week: Up to 24 hours per week
Position type: non-union casual
Rate of pay: $20/hour

Please submit a cover letter and resume in a single PDF document (file name: First Name Last
Name) to the Visitor Engagement Coordinator: Kathleen Lew kathleen.lew@torontomu.ca by 5pm
on Friday November 14, 2025.

Same competition – new name.

The International VELUX Award for students of architecture is relaunched as Light of Tomorrow by VELUX for the 2026 edition of the competition and award!

Kickstart your journey – REGISTER NOW

Begin your journey by downloading the Award Brief

To receive updates and notifications, registration details, and key dates for the 2026 edition – sign up for our newsletter.

Get inspired by browsing the 2024 projects and previous winners:

• The winning projects 2024
• All projects 2024

About Light of Tomorrow by VELUX 2026

The competition and award challenges students to explore the theme of daylight – to create a deeper understanding of this ever-relevant source of energy, light, and life.

Submit your furniture design projects by Feb. 27, 2026, for your chance to win a trip to join Formica Corporation at NeoCon 2026 and a cash prize!

Formica Corporation invites architecture and design students to submit a furniture design embodying the theme “mood-boosting design”.

As expressive, meaningful and mood-boosting spaces are on the rise, Formica Corporation is inviting students to answer the call and create furniture pieces that inspire, emotionally uplift and spark joy. This can come to life, for example, with bold colors, unexpected color combinations, layered textures — all elements that can be achieved by experimenting with optical and physical textures across Formica Corporation’s product range. Pieces can be used for any residential and commercial setting and must incorporate at least three or more Formica® Brand and/or FENIX® products.

Critical intervention into the urban field requires first recognizing the contested spatial and institutional power dynamics that drive today’s urban and bio-regional crises. The 2026 Lyceum Fellowship competition asks participants to first expose and visualize a particular conflict—reflecting on the requisite political, economic, social, and spatial processes—then design the conditions to tackle this conflict.

External Events & Opportunities

SSAC 2026: Call for Sessions

Society for the Study of Architecture in Canada – 51st Annual Conference 
Saint John (New Brunswick) 
May 27–30, 2026 
Theme: Open Fields / Champs libres

For its 51st annual conference, the Society for the Study of Architecture in Canada will gather in the beautiful city of Saint John, New Brunswick. The conference will take place from May 27 to 30, 2026.

Building on the stimulating experience of the 50th anniversary conference in Ottawa, SSAC is once again proposing an edition without a prescribed theme. Under the title Open Fields, SSAC aims to offer a space open to the plurality of approaches, subjects of study, and methodologies that nourish research on the built environment in Canada.

Tickets now available for 14 must-see films, special events, and panel conversations celebrating the power of design

Toronto, ON — October 14, 2025 — The Architecture & Design Film Festival (ADFF) returns to Toronto this fall with an exciting new lineup of films, panel conversations, and design-forward experiences at the TIFF Lightbox from November 12-15, 2025. Presented by Eventscape, this year’s program features 14 international films that explore how design shapes our cities, our values, and our future. To purchase tickets, click here.

DAS community may use the code ADFF2FOR1 for “buy one, get one free” ticket offer for all screenings except opening night.

In recognition of the 10-year anniversary of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s final report and calls to action, TMU’s Orange Shirt Day/National Indigenous Peoples Day planning circle launched a community-wide call to action. 

The First 10/Next 10: TRC Poster Series is an opportunity for departments, faculties, student groups and administrative units to reflect on the truth-telling and reconciliation work already done – and commit to what comes next – through digital posters that document initiatives implemented in response to the 94 Calls to Action.

The Department of Architectural Science has three posters in the deck. Check out all the posters here and watch for them on screens around campus.

TSA CONNECT: Newcomers

• Description: TSA CONNECT: Newcomers is a professional networking and mentorship event highlighting internationally-trained architects and their diverse paths in the industry. With degrees, licenses, and professional experience from South Africa to Venezuela, Algeria to India, our amazing lineup of Featured Guests will share how they have managed to translate their experiences into a variety of career paths in their new home. Join the TSA for a fun, insightful evening and make some connections!
• Date/Time: Tuesday, November 11, 7:00 - 9:30 PM (doors open at 6:30 PM)
• Location: CSI Spadina Lounge (192 Spadina Avenue, Toronto)
• Price: $15 + HST General Admission, Free for TSA Members (student membership is free!) Spots are limited so make sure to get your ticket today!
• Link: https://torontosocietyofarchitects.ca/events/tsa-connect-2025-newcomers/

• Description: The Architecture and Design Film Festival—North America’s largest film festival dedicated to architecture and design—is coming back to Toronto for another year of great films and insightful discussions! From November 12-15, catch one of their amazing lineup of international films. As always, the TSA is proud to be once again partnering with ADFF to bring a series of post-screening panel discussions and special events to this year’s festival, bringing the conversation back to our Toronto context.
• Dates: November 12 - 15, 2025
• Location: TIFF Lightbox (350 King St W, Toronto)
• Price: $17 General Admission, $14 for TSA Members (per film)
• Link: https://torontosocietyofarchitects.ca/events/?filter=films#filters=films

• Description: Few materials in the AEC industry are as ubiquitous as cement and concrete. But how much do we really know about how it’s made, where it comes from, and most importantly: its environmental impact? Join the TSA for a Technical Lecture with Rob Cooney of the Cement Association of Canada, as we explore the fundamentals of cement and concrete through the lens of sustainability and decarbonization.
• Date/Time: Tuesday, November 18, 12:00 - 1:00 PM EST
• Location: Online via Zoom
• Price: $15+HST General Admission, FREE for TSA Members (student membership is free!)
• Link: https://torontosocietyofarchitects.ca/events/tsa-technical-series-cement-concrete-and-the-path-to-decarbonization/

• Description: We’re guessing you’ve probably heard there’s a new version of the Ontario Building Code (OBC). Join the TSA and Frédéric Ouellette of Engineering Link Incorporated for this Technical Lecture as we take an in-depth look at the latest structural code updates.
• Date/Time: Tuesday, December 9, 12:00 - 1:00 PM EST
• Location: Online via Zoom
• Price: $15+HST General Admission, FREE for TSA Members (student membership is free!)
• Link: https://torontosocietyofarchitects.ca/events/tsa-technical-series-navigating-changes-to-part-4-of-the-obc/

• Description: Join the TSA at the BASH: Toronto’s architectural community’s biggest celebration! A long-standing tradition, the TSA’s annual year-end BASH is an opportunity for the community to come together and celebrate in unique spaces across our city. We’re so excited to be bringing the 2025 TSA BASH to Limberlost Place, Ontario’s first institutional mass-timber tall-wood building.
• Date/Time: Friday, November 28, 7:00 - 11:00 PM
• Location: Limberlost Place (185 Queens Quay E, Toronto)
• Price: $120+HST General Admission, $60+HST for TSA Members (student membership is free!) Tickets go on sale on October 28.
• Link: https://torontosocietyofarchitects.ca/events/tsa-bash-2025/

ON NOW in the Urbanspace Gallery until December 31^st

plazaPOPS: Paradise in a Parking Lot invites visitors to celebrate the significant role that strip malls play in the social, cultural, and economic life of Toronto’s inner suburbs and the public health of local communities.

The exhibit also shares the work and future potential of plazaPOPS, a community-based not-for-profit public space organization that turns parking spaces into people places along Toronto’s strip mall main streets through partnership, co-creation, research, and advocacy.

TMU Programming

The FEAS Momentum newsletter highlights the people, projects, and partnerships shaping our faculty.  Explore teaching innovations, research impact, community collaborations, and milestones from across FEAS.  Browse the latest issue and past editions below.

By promoting community standards of respect, civility and safety, TMU Student Care supports students in distress and those in need of personal support. Students, faculty and staff can contact the office by email studentcare@torontomu.ca.

Students in need of counselling may contact the Centre for Student Development and Counselling, at csdc@torontomu.ca. Indicate “Architecture” in the subject line for prioritized appointments.

If you are in distress and need immediate assistance, please reach out to: The Gerstein Centre 24/7 Distress Line, a free, confidential support line for anyone experiencing an emotional crisis and needing immediate assistance:  416-929-5200; or Good 2 Talk, a free, confidential counselling support line specifically for post-secondary school students:  1-866-925-5454

If you are concerned about your own safety or the safety of a TMU community member, please contact TMU Community Safety and Security at: 416-979-5040, security@torontomu.ca, or for emergencies, please call 911.

Date: November 25, 2025
Time: 5:30–7:00 p.m. EST
Location: Vaughan, Ontario
Contact: Adrianne Kenmir, rsvp@torontomu.ca

Join Intersections on November 25 for The Unaffordable Dream: Rethinking Housing in Canada with TMU’s David Amborski. Explore the future of homeownership and affordability in the GTA.
RSVP: https://ow.ly/RxIM50XjNx4

Thursdays, October 23 – November 20
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM (Virtual/In-person)
Register here: https://tinyurl.com/3c95x6nh

“Let’s Talk About Us” is a 5-week wellbeing group that explores and affirms the complexity, humanity, and emotional wellbeing of Black students in a soft and supportive space.

Facilitated by Black staff, students can expect to:

• Connect with peers and share collective wisdom

• Discover practical wellbeing strategies

• Embrace lighthearted joy and community connection

Alumni News

Farida Abu-Bakare (MArch 2012) and Tura Cousins-Wilson (BArchSc 2009) are among the Winners of the inaugural 40 Under 40 Awards for North America, launched by the World Architecture Foundation (WAF) and The Architect's Newspaper! 

These outstanding architects – the top 40 aged 40 and under from across the USA, Canada, and Mexico – represent the next generation shaping the future of design. More here: 

Farida Abu-Bakare (MArch 2012) is Associate Principal at WXY architecture + urban design (Montreal-New York). Tura Cousins-Wilson (BArchSc 2009) is co-founder & principal at Studio of Contemporary Architecture (SOCA), Toronto, and a design studio instructor at DAS.

Congratulations Farida & Tura!

Congratulations to professor Dorothy Johns, who has received Toronto Metropolitan University’s most prestigious academic award, the Governor General's Gold Medal. The medal is awarded annually to the graduate student who achieves the highest academic standing in a graduate degree program.

Are you ready to give back to the next generation of architecture leaders?

The Discover Mentorship Program at FEAS matches senior career professionals with third and fourth year students. Our goal is to provide students with professional development, support, and guidance as they prepare to embark in meaningful careers.

Mentorship can inspire and motivate students to achieve their full potential in the transition from university to the professional world. If you have five years of career experience and would like to learn more about getting involved as a mentor, please contact Kieran Lynch at kieran.lynch@torontomu.ca.

Have DAS news to share? Please let us know:

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