DAS NEWS

In this issue: In this issue: M.Arch Final Reviews | FEAS Poster Day | Year End Show 2026 | Doors Open Toronto & more!

M.Arch Final Reviews This Week: April 22nd - 24th

Mobs and Microbes Honoured with 2026 RAIC Architectural Journalism and Media Award

We are thrilled to announce that Professor Leila M. Farah along with co-editor Samantha L. Martin, has received the 2026 RAIC Architectural Journalism and Media Award for their book Mobs and Microbes: Global Perspectives on Market Halls, Civic Order and Public Health.

Published by Leuven University Press, the book reexamines the market hall as far more than a place of commerce—revealing it as a powerful instrument of governance, social order, and public health across history and cultures. By weaving together architectural history, urban studies, and public health, the volume explores how these civic spaces have been shaped by concerns over sanitation, crowd control, and disease.

The jury praised the work for its “exceptional scholarly depth,” “clarity and accessibility,” and “timely, globally relevant” perspective on public space and civic infrastructure—calling it a model of architectural scholarship that deepens public understanding of architecture’s role in broader cultural and political systems.

Join us in congratulating Professor Farah! The award ceremony will take place on May 8, 2026, at the RAIC Conference in Vancouver.

Doors Open Toronto May 23rd - 24th

As with previous years, this year DAS is participating in Doors Open Toronto from May 23 - May 24. Completed in 1981, our unique brutalist building with dramatic atriums was designed by the acclaimed Canadian architect Ron Thom (1923-1986). Thom also designed Massey College (1963) at the University of Toronto, the master plan for Trent University (1967) including the Bata Library and the Champlain and Lady Eaton Colleges, the Toronto Zoo (1974), the Shaw Festival Theatre in Niagara-on-the-Lake (1973) and numerous other projects, including many houses in British Columbia celebrated as examples of west-coast modernism. 

This is a great opportunity to see both the building and the year end show, with student work from all levels!

Year End Show 2026 Opens May 1st

Opening Reception on Friday, May 1st | 6:00 PM

325 Church St.

DAS encourages its students to test boundaries, explore new possibilities, and apply their skill to prevailing issues present within their evolving surroundings. The annual Year End Show presents the culmination of the 2025-26 academic term, showcasing the impressive and cutting-edge works of our top students in all four years of study and at the graduate level.

The exhibit, spanning all four storeys of the Architecture Building, collects and displays the models, drawings, and digital presentations produced in response to a variety of major themes studied throughout both academic terms. We are excited to share our hard work with the Toronto architectural community, and invite you to join us as we celebrate the year's best and brightest!

Join us on Thursday, May 1st at 6:00pm as the exhibition launches. The exhibit will be open until Monday, June 22nd, 2026.

Admission to the opening reception is free and includes food and drinks.

Thank you to our YES 2026 Sponsors!

Engineering & Architectural Science Day 2026:
Fourth-Year Studio Projects on Display

Friday, April 24th | 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM EST

George Vari Engineering & Computing Centre (245 Church St.) and Daphne Cockwell Complex (288 Church St.)

Join the Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science (FEAS) on Friday, April 24, 2026 for TMU Engineering & Architectural Science Day, featuring capstone design and fourth-year studio projects from our final-year students.

Agenda:

• 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Project showcase (ENG – all floors)

• 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM | Light lunch for students (ENG – LG)

• 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM | Employer Exhibition & Networking (DCC 103 & 104)

• 3:15 PM – 4:00 PM | Closing Ceremony & Awards (ENG 103)

Drop by for the showcase or stay for the full day. All are welcome!

For questions or accommodations, contact Andrea Moon at andrea.moon@torontomu.ca.

DIALOG's Architectural Scholarship in Honour of Michael Evamy

This scholarship is open to students enrolled in a Canadian architecture school who are entering their final year of a professional architecture degree program.

The scholarship includes C$5,000 in funding for the recipient’s final research thesis, C$3,000 to cover travel and project-related expenses, and a public presentation organized by DIALOG. Students are invited to submit their application by May 22, 2026.

Scholarship Details

The Architectural Scholarship in Honour of Michael Evamy provides financial assistance to the selected student to undertake a specific research project based on a field of study of interest to him/her/them. The intent of the study is to enrich and advance the candidate’s personal and professional experience and knowledge on a topic relevant to the practice of architecture.

Selection will be based on the following criteria:

• The candidate’s expressed interest in the scholarship and his/her/their chosen field of study.

• The specific nature of the investigation relative to his/her/their chosen field of study.

• Demonstrated academic achievement and leadership ability.

• The successful candidate will be notified and the award will be publicly announced.

Applications are due at 11:59 p.m. MT on May 22, 2026.

Student Research Volunteers Wanted:
Park Social Inclusion Study

Join a collaborative research project led by Dr. Samantha Biglieri, Dr. Terri Peters, and the City of Toronto, along with PhD student Yaxin Jiang, exploring how public park design and infrastructure affect social belonging and exclusion.

We are seeking DAS student volunteers to assist with data collection across 10 Toronto parks in May 2026. Activities include:

• Observational studies of built environment features in parks

• Intercept surveys with park users

This is a valuable opportunity to gain hands-on research experience at the intersection of design, public space, and social equity.

📋 Interested? Please review the recruitment poster and complete the recruitment form.

Apply Now: 2027 Venice Fellowship

The call for applications for the 2027 Venice Fellowship is now open!

This fellowship offers a unique opportunity to spend one month conducting independent research in Venice, Italy, while serving as an exhibition ambassador for Canada’s official entry to the 20th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia (May 8 – November 21, 2027).

Who can apply?

• Students enrolled in a Canadian school of architecture

• Early-career arts practitioners in disciplines including visual arts, architecture, dance, media arts, literary arts, music, theatre, and related fields

Fellowships: The Canada Council will award 21 fellowships. Priority will be given to applicants who self-identify as First Nations, Inuit or Métis, Black, racialized, Deaf or having a disability; members of official language minority communities; youth; 2SLGBTQ+; members of gender-diverse communities; women; and those at intersections of these identities.

Deadline: June 17, 2026

Click the link below to learn more about the call and meet the 2025 Venice Fellowship recipients.

2026 AIA Canada Student Design Awards

The 2026 Student Design Awards Program recognizes design excellence among architecture students across Canada. This national initiative celebrates creativity, innovation, and technical skill, offering emerging architects and architectural technologists a professional platform to showcase their work and gain industry recognition.

Who can apply?

• Students enrolled in university and college architectural programs across Canada

• One project submission per student or group

• Free entry (no AIA membership required)

Submission Deadline: April 30, 2026 | 3:00 PM ET (early submissions encouraged)

Prizes:

• 1st Place: $3,500

• 2nd Place: $2,250

• 3rd Place: $1,000

Éclos Capsule Collection Call for Submissions

DesignTO is pleased to announce a new open call in partnership with Cosentino: the Éclos Capsule Collection. This competition invites Canadian designers to explore the creative potential of Éclos, a next-generation mineral surface, through the design of furniture, objects, or sculptural works that push the material beyond surface and into form.

Key Details

• Who can apply: Canadian designers living in Canada or abroad, including students and professionals
• What to submit: Proposals for furniture, objects, or sculpture using Éclos as the primary material
• Artist fee: $1,000 CAD for selected designers
• Submission: Online form (multiple entries permitted)

Selected by a jury of industry professionals, designs will be fabricated in Toronto and presented as part of the 2026 Éclos Capsule Collection. Participants will benefit from exhibition opportunities in major Canadian and U.S. cities, inclusion in a coordinated press campaign, and access to professional photography—offering a platform to expand your practice and share your work with new audiences.

Deadline for submissions: Friday, May 22, 2026 at 11:59pm ET

Complimentary RAIC Membership for Students

Follow these three steps to apply for RAIC membership: 

• Download the application form that matches your qualifications
• Complete the fillable PDF
• Email the form and any required supporting documentation to membership@raic.org.

Design Competition:
Tactical Urbanism Now! The Revolution of Public Space

Participants are invited to explore how temporary, lightweight interventions can act as powerful tools for testing ideas, responding to local conditions and rethinking the future of public space.

Rather than fixed solutions,  this competition looks for proposals conceived as prototypes: flexible, testable and rooted in real urban life. Whether addressing climate stress, reclaiming space for people or strengthening community ties, the goal is to show how small-scale interventions can unlock new possibilities and reshape the urban experience over time. Submissions due by October 20.

ACSA Competitions

ACSA has a long precedence in creating and providing competitions for students and faculty. ACSA competitions are national and international in scope, offering unique opportunities to investigate, develop, and challenge systematic approaches to design. Entries are critiqued and judged by a jury of experts with diverse backgrounds. Competitions also assist instructors with developing a range of design challenges for use in their courses.

2026 Japan IDPA International Pioneer Design Award

Competition - Spatializing Justice: Building Blocks

Competition: Mass Timber Innovation and Design Center
of Canada

OUT-OF-MAP. Feminist Narratives of Public Space

School of the Cities: Embodied Greenhouse Gas Symposium - Thursday, April 30, 2026

Vertical Urbanism Resources

SSAC 2026: Call for Sessions

TMU Student Care - Reminder of Services

Giving Tuesday