View this email in your browser

Upcoming Events

All lectures will run from 18:00 – 19:30 in ARC-202 (“The Pit”), located at 325 Church Street, Toronto unless otherwise noted.

WINTER 2025

FEB 6
Claire Weisz x BEAT
Founding Partner, W X Y architecture + urban design, New York

NEW DATE: FEB 13
Alison Brooks x BEAT
Founder & Creative Director, Alison Brooks Architects, London

MARCH 6
Sarah Lynn Lopez
Author & Associate Professor at UPenn, Philadelphia

MARCH 27
Chris T Cornelius (Oneida)
Founding Principal, studio:indigenous 
Professor and Chair of the Department of Architecture at the University of New Mexico

Thank you to our Lecture Series Sponsors!
Ontario Association of Architects
ERA Architects
Thames Valley Brick & Tile
MARANT
Sense Engineering
BDP Quadrangle
Shop3D

Our lecture series events qualify for 1.5 OAA Structured Con Ed hours (only for those working towards an OAA Certificate of Practice). 

Extracurricular

Second-year student Arjun Jain recently represented the Department of Architectural Science at the ICERI Conference in Seville, Spain. This internationally peer-reviewed event provided a platform to showcase department work and engage with architecture educators and researchers from around the globe.

With guidance from Professor Vincent Hui, Arjun presented collaborative projects that highlighted DAS’s unique strengths, including grassroots initiatives and industry mentorship integration. “The feedback and interest from attendees reinforced the value of what we do and affirmed the importance of sharing it on an international stage,” he reflected. The conference was also a transformative learning opportunity, offering insights into global teaching practices and research methodologies. “[It] broadened my understanding of the exciting initiatives within DAS and sparked ideas for enhancing our own practices,” Arjun shared.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of TMU’s library building, a brutalist landmark that reflects the university’s commitment to creativity, scholarship, and innovation. To celebrate, TMU Library collaborated with Assistant Professor Carlo Parente and Professor Vincent Hui, graduate student Olivia Nunn, and a team of undergraduate students to create four engaging pillars.

These pillars showcase an interactive timeline, unique Library artifacts, and thought-provoking reflections on the Library’s evolving role as a community hub. When combined, the pillars form a replica of the Library building itself, inviting visitors to explore its past and envision its future.

Registration deadline: April 9, 2025
The Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) is pleased to announce the 25th Annual Steel Design Student Competition for the 2024-2025 academic year. Administered by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) and sponsored by the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), the program is intended to challenge undergraduate and graduate students, working individually or in teams, to explore a variety of design issues related to the use of steel in design and construction. Steel must be used as the primary structural material and contain at least one space that requires a long-span steel structure, with special emphasis placed on innovation in steel design.

Deadline: January 13, 2025
Have an idea for a design-build project that will expand student engagement with materials? Let the AISC help you bring it to life--with steel!

Faculty members and students with faculty sponsors can propose projects to the AISC Steel Design-Build Grant Program, and they will fund one or a handful of them every year. Besides project funds, the AISC wants to give architecture students the opportunity to engage with steel--they'll pair them with fabricators who can collaborate at various stages of the project.

External Events & Opportunities

Deadlines: Dec. 2 (Registration for In-Person Display), Dec. 11 (All Submissions)
Location: Online & Maker Bean Café (1052 Bloor St W)
Price: Free to submit!

The TSA’s fifth annual Gingerbread City is back for another year of delicious structures and edible creations! This community building event brings together architects, designers, and gingerbread-lovers alike to create whimsical and unique creations that inspire and delight, showcased online and on display at the Maker Bean Café. Whether you’re an individual submission or a team, Gingerbread City is open to all and free to enter, so we invite everyone to participate in this year’s festivities!

Calling all Architecture Students!

CASA-ACÉA and BAC-DAC are excited to provide an opportunity to increase your presence while supporting future architecture professionals across Canada. We are looking for moderators to run sessions at the 2025 CAFÉ Housing Event at Toronto Metropolitan University from January 31st - February 1st, 2025. 

Moderators will be tasked with creating questions for their respective speakers alongside CASA-ACEA and BAC-DAC moderator leads.

If you are interested in being a moderator to represent students on a national level, please send an email to cafe@casa-acea.org by November 30th, 2024 with your name, University, and email to contact regarding the event. CASA-ACÉA and BAC-DAC will email selected candidates on the next steps to moderate a given session. For more information on the event and following details, please visit https://www.casa-acea.org/cafe-housing and https://bac-dac.ca/cafe-manifestos.

The Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) has launched the SHIFT2025 Challenge, calling on architects and design teams to propose innovative and sustainable solutions that reshape communities in response to the challenges of climate change and social shifts. This year’s theme, Reshaping Communities, encourages participants to explore how architectural thinking can help create stable, inclusive environments that foster a sense of belonging in the face of urgent challenges like extreme weather, political instability, and rapid technological change.

Why Participate?

This challenge is a unique opportunity for architectural professionals to showcase their creativity, leadership, and commitment to driving social change. Winning entries will inspire new ways of thinking about how we build and adapt communities in an evolving world.

Don't miss out—submit your ideas by January 17, 2025, and help shape the future of our communities!

Submission Deadline: Thursday, May 22, 2025, 8:00 PM EDT.
https://competition.lyceum-fellowship.org/

Calling all architecture students! The 2025 Lyceum Competition, A Community for the Future of Food, challenges participants to reimagine two reclaimed buildings along Bridgetown, Barbados’s iconic Carlisle Bay. Guided by Program Author and Jury Chair Pierre Serrao (Black Star Barbados, Ghetto Gastro), this year’s theme focuses on sustainable design rooted in the region’s culinary heritage.

Your mission: transform these beachfront spaces into dynamic hubs for culinary innovation and community connection. Highlighting the disparities in the Caribbean's food system, this competition encourages designs that promote ecological farming, local consumption, and cultural pride. Don't miss this opportunity to shape the future of food in the world’s youngest nation!

TMU Student Opportunities

TMU is developing its first university-wide Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Strategy and Action Plan to strengthen its commitment to academic excellence and social responsibility. Led by the Office of the Vice-President, Equity and Community Inclusion, the plan will guide EDI practices and priorities for years to come.

Students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to participate in shaping this framework by completing the campus-wide survey, open until December 4, 2024. Your input will help define actions that advance EDI and create lasting impact.

Date: December 4th 2024

Time: 12pm - 1:30pm

Location: Daphne Cockwell Complex (DCC) 707/709 (7th Floor), 288 Church Street

What is access? What does access mean? Access for who?

The Office of Social Innovation is excited to introduce Transformation Cafes, a new series of panel events exploring social justice approaches to accessing education and campus space. 

Our first event, titled "Unraveling Access: Transforming Education Through Critical Pathways” will take place on December 4th. This panel discussion will critique inclusion into a normative system and answer these key questions. 

We are honored to feature the following speakers:

• Emkay Adjei-Man: Multidisciplinary Artist

• Dr. Layal Shuman: Professor of Design Studies, The Creative School at Toronto Metropolitan University

• Vernetta Avril: Former York Sanctuary Scholar Student and Educator

Join us for a thought provoking conversation that aims to redefine access in an urban university setting. 

Save the date and click the link below for more details and registration.

Have DAS news to share? Please let us know:

Copyright © 2024 Department of Architectural Science, Toronto Metropolitan University, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you are part of the Department of Architectural Science, Toronto Metropolitan (formerly Ryerson) University community.

Our mailing address is:
Department of Architectural Science, Toronto Metropolitan University
325 Church Street
Toronto, ON M5B 2K3
Canada