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In this issue: House [verb]: A Zine Exhibition Opens TODAY | Law + Architecture: Reimagining Lincoln Alexander Law Presentations & Exhibition, DAS Studio Reviews & More!
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November 25th Issue

DAS News

In this issue: House [verb]: A Zine Exhibition Opens TODAY | Law + Architecture: Reimagining Lincoln Alexander Law Presentations & Exhibition, DAS Studio Reviews & More!
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DAS Studio Reviews


Final reviews are taking place between Dec. 3rd - Dec. 12th - be sure to check our website for updates!

Reviews Schedule

Law + Architecture: Reimagining Lincoln Alexander Law


An exhibition of student designs for the law school’s future home

Date: November 28, 2025

Time: 12:30 - 2:00 p.m.
Location: ARC-202 (The Pit), TMU Architecture Building, 325 Church Street

Over the Fall 2025 term, law and architecture students at TMU have teamed up to reimagine the possibilities for 277 Victoria Street - the future home of the Lincoln Alexander School of Law. Join us for a special exhibition and reception showcasing student designs - and add your voice to the conversation!



Register

LEED Certified - DAS Students Rehearse Efficiency Excellence


Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design or LEED® is an international symbol of sustainability excellence. The certification is sought by many professionals for projects performing at high global standards in green building.


In the Department of Architectural Science (DAS), fourth year undergraduate students and first year master’s students in Architecture and Building Science are already rehearsing how to earn this efficiency distinction through adaptive strategies.


As part of a cross-listed elective, ASC855 / AR8220 Sustainable Rating Systems, taught by Dr. Letzai Ruiz in Fall 2025, students developed a proposal for an existing non-LEED building to earn LEED Platinum certification by applying the LEED v5 framework.


This process involved students selecting an existing project and identifying enhancement strategies across the following categories: Location and Transportation, Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality, and Project Priority.



Read More

Upcoming Events

House [verb]: A Zine Exhibition


DAS and AAHA are pleased to present a special exhibition:

House [verb]: A Zine Exhibition
TODAY November 25 | 6:00 PM
The Atrium, 325 Church St.


Join us for an evening of critical inquiry and creative exploration at the intersection of architecture, urbanism, and home.
Featuring: 48 original zines by students from the Everything is Housing elective (ASC731/AR8205).

house [verb] is an exhibition of student-made zines exploring urban architecture and housing alienation in Canada. Grounded in a series of self-selected ‘big questions’ developed over the semester, 48 students from the Everything is Housing elective share their research through compelling visual stories. Their questions include:

  • What are the best buildings to adaptively reuse for housing?

  • Can housing adapt as its residents age?

  • How much space should a person be allocated to live?

During a housing crisis, climate crisis, homelessness crisis, and crisis of connection,  their zines and thesis statements interrogate the question: how do we approach the act of housing? Guided by instructor Robert Raynor, this exhibition is in collaboration with Architects Against Housing Alienation’s Cross-Canada Superstudio, occurring at architecture departments throughout the country over the 2025-2026 academic year.

This event is free and open to all. We invite students, faculty, practitioners, and anyone interested in the critical conversations shaping our cities to join us! The zines will remain on display in the atrium until the end of November, with the installation concluding on December 1st.

Guest Lecture with Janice Lee & Allan Baniña from GOW Hastings


Ways of Learning


Gow Hastings Architects is an architecture and design studio in Toronto specialising in education spaces and creating vibrant places for learning, research, discovery, and play. Drawing on key projects, associates Allan Baniña and Janice Lee will detail how their work addresses the evolving needs of students in an era of consequential social, environmental, and technological change—and reimagines ways of learning today and for the future. Connecting to these insights, in parallel, Allan and Janice will trace their own journey as students and reflect on the lessons learned that have shaped their perspectives as design professionals.



Read More & Register
Watch Previous Lectures on Our Youtube Channel

Architecture of Place: Travel Studios - Tokyo, Japan 2024 + Barcelona, Spain 2025


The exhibition brings together the work and experiences of students from recent DAS travel studios.  Students immersed themselves in two cities of extraordinary architectural character: Barcelona, led by Assistant Professor Jennifer Esposito,  and Tokyo, led by Associate Professor Will Galloway. Participating in firm visits, guided tours, and independent exploration, they experienced the diversity of culture embedded in architecture and urban form, from the layered historic fabric of Barcelona to the everyday complexity of Tokyo.


Each city offered lessons in how architecture comes from context and culture. In Barcelona, students engaged with the city’s vibrant public spaces, its integration of art and architecture, and the enduring influence of Gaudí’s modernism. In Tokyo, Students studied train stations and the way they functioned as destinations as much as people movers. The show will be open until November 28th.

Read More

Extracurricular

Keilhauer Supports DAS Student Lounge 

Once a closed-off classroom with no natural light or community purpose, ARC 402C has been transformed into a vibrant social hub through creative collaboration between arc.soc student leaders, DAS Chair Lisa Landrum, and one of Canada’s greenest furniture manufacturers, Keilhauer


Keilhauer’s donation of design-forward furnishings - and the selective removal of concrete block walls - turned a formerly windowless space into the new arc.soc Student Lounge, designed to foster student well-being, collaboration, and creativity. 


Read more here.

Student Opportunities

2026 RAIC Foundation (RAICF) Scholarships, Grants, Bursaries and Awards

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!

Get Started

Light of Tomorrow:
International VELUX Award for Students of Architecture

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:

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.

Learn More

2026 FORM Student Innovation Competition Now Open!

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.

Learn More

Competition - Spatializing Justice: Building Blocks

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.

Learn more

External Events & Opportunities

Join us for a Special Celebration of BEAToronto Founders

A Celebration of BEAT’s Founders
Wednesday, November 26, 6:30 - 9:00 pm
KPMB Architects, 351 King Street East, Suite 1200


Please join us in celebrating Shirley Blumberg, Brigitte Shim, and Betsy Williamson’s work in founding BEAToronto, and their contributions in stewarding the organization through its first decade! 

Inspired by the Order of Canada’s recognition of those desiring a better country, Shirley Blumberg worked with Betsy Williamson and Brigitte Shim to initiate BEAT—Building Equality in Architecture Toronto—back in 2015. 

The group has since hosted over 127 events, with a total of over 6,200 registered attendees, and has featured over 90 women as speakers.

As Shirley, Brigitte, and Betsy take a step back from their formal involvement in BEAToronto, we hope you will join us in raising a glass in celebration of all that they have done for the community of women architects in Toronto and beyond! Their stalwart commitment, advocacy and mentorship has left an indelible mark on the design profession at large.

RSVP

SSAC 2026: Call for Sessions

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.

Learn more

First 10 / Next 10 - TMU x DAS x TRC

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.

Upcoming TSA Events & Call For Volunteers


TSA Tech Series | Navigating Changes to Part 4 of the OBC
  • 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/
TSA BASH 2025
  • 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/

TMU Programming

TMU We Need Your Help for a High Blood Pressure Study

The study aims to see if adults in Ontario are receiving nutrition education from healthcare providers to manage their high blood pressure.

TMU is looking for:

  • Adults (18 or older)
  • Lives in Ontario (with government issued photo ID)
  • Has at least 1 prescribed medication for high blood pressure
  • No history of diabetes, kidney disease, or cancers
  • Not currently pregnant
  • Has access to a telephone or stable internet


This study will contribute to better understanding the Ontario healthcare system and investigate if there are any barriers or sociodemographic disparities to accessing dietitian services.

What participants are asked to do:
1. Complete a 15-min eligibility screening (via Zoom)
2. Complete a 15-min online survey (on their own time)


You will receive $15 compensation after completing the study survey. A valid email address is needed to receive the e-transfer compensation. This study is completely voluntary, and no one is obligated to participate. All participants have the right to withdraw their participation.

Interested in participating? Fill out the contact form here!

If you have any questions, please contact us at dmalta@torontomu.ca | 416-979-5000 ext. 552727

Check out the new Momentum:
FEAS Newsletter - Launched in Summer 2025

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.

Learn more

Check out TMU's Wellbeing Central - a one-stop website for wellbeing resources for TMU students, staff, and faculty.

TMU Student Care - Reminder of Services

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.

Learn more

Intersections — The Unaffordable Dream:
Rethinking Housing in Canada

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

Alumni News

DAS Alumni Earn International Honours

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!

Read more

Dorothy Johns receives TMU’s Governor General’s Gold Medal 

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.

Read more

Call For Mentors

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:

Comms Request Form

Missed an event?

Most of our guest lectures are live-streamed. Make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch our recordings!

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For further information, please contact:

Department of Architectural Science
325 Church Street
Toronto, Ontario M5B 2K3
Canada
P: 416-979-5000
F: 416-979-5353
E: arch.office@torontomu.ca
https://www.torontomu.ca/architectural-science/

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