I rode my bike through Toronto, past the architecture ghetto, over the Don Valley to the east side of the city to office of Sustainable.TO. It was founded less than five years ago by Paul Dowsett, a Waterloo Architecture alumni, and is housed in an old bank on Queen Street East. I entered the office to find him and his team immersed in a design charrette, discussing their proposal for redevelopment of the Far Rockaways. I listened as his young team led the discussion, debating the merits and presentation of the project as Paul listened on, occasionally offering insight gleaned from his over 25 years in the architecture profession.
As a 4B student about to leave the comforts and confines of academic life, I was curious about Paul’s experience after his exit. Following his graduation from Waterloo in 1987 Dowsett returned to a previous co-op employer, Carson Woods. After over a year of learning and collaboration, he left with his mentor’s blessing to pursue residential projects independently. The economic downturn of the 90’s left everyone without much work and Paul found himself in a variety of jobs, from teaching architectural computer courses at the University of Toronto to working with an installation design studio and finally to collaborating with friends to form an interior design practice. When working individually was no longer feasible, the trio rented space, setting up camp in the office of Scott Morris Architects. Paul’s experience and capability did not go unnoticed and was eventually hired by Scott Morris where he finally had the opportunity to complete his professional accreditation.
Sustainable practice had been central to Paul’s design process since the days before Terri introduced the environmental design curriculum, so when the opportunity came in 2009 to begin his own practice, it was clear what the founding principles would be. Using the fundamentals of orientation, daylighting, ventilation and enclosure, Paul and his fledgling team have constructed energy efficient homes throughout Ontario and have begun sharing their expertise internationally. When Design by Many put out the challenge for a low cost, low energy house for a New Orleans still recovering from Katrina, Paul knew it was the perfect opportunity for them to broaden their practice. Waterloo co-op students Stephanie Kolton and Aidan Mitchelmore produced the lion’s share of the design work for the New Orleans Passive House which became the winning proposal. The familiar typology of the shotgun house was oriented to maximize passive day lighting and ventilation, using prefabricated construction and an energy efficient building envelope to produce a contemporary design which caught the judges attention. However, when asked by prospective residents, “Does it have to look so modern?” the Sustainable.TO team was prepared with a design suited to the vernacular of Louisiana. Since then, they have again adapted the exterior language of the architecture for use as low income housing in East Austin, Texas while maintaining the sustainable functionality of the original design.
Today the current Waterloo co-op students, Sean Maciel and Lea Koch, knowledgeably tell me about the team’s resilient sustainable re-development strategy for the Far Rockaways in New York, an area damaged by Hurricane Sandy. The competition response incorporates a fourth iteration the Passive House as a beach cottage into their protective and programmatic infrastructure for the flood susceptible neighbourhood. I’m also reminded of their shortlist success in the Cambodian Sustainable Housing competition, another project with heavy Waterloo student involvement.
At this point I realize, in an interview about Paul Dowsett, he has said very little, instead he is listening proudly to his capable interns. It’s clear he enjoys sharing his knowledge, providing those around him with the agency to influence change towards a sustainable future. The ongoing, collaborative teaching and design process at the East Scarborough Storefront project is a testament to Paul’s capacity as a mentor and his influence in the greater community and to the practice.
You could also ask one of the dozen Waterloo students who have worked with Paul Dowsett at Sustainable.TO.
Meaghan Murray, Dustin Parkes, Callan Wilson-Delafield, Stephanie Koltun, Aidan Mitchelmore, Samuel Ganton, Montgomery deLuna, Devon Holdsworth, Kristin Allison, Sean Maciel, Lea Koch
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