The uniquely independent masters program here at the Waterloo School of Architecture continues to grow, and each term brings new graduate students accompanied by their diverse thesis objectives. Over the next few weeks we will be profiling these future masters and their work in hopes of shedding light on the breadth of research and design happening within the school.
This week features masters students who are at various stages of developing their thesis work.
Immersed in their research, writing, and design speculation, masters students are often elusive creatures; hidden behind a fortress of books, obsessively consumed in personal projects. But don’t fear them, they’re not dragons. Approach them, ask them questions, because they’ve been in your position. Once upon a time, they too entered into the ambiguous and challenging world of the architecture undergraduate and they persevered! Talk to them, for they are wise.
William Elsworthy | M4
Where can you be found?
Mostly in Toronto, but occasionally in office 3011.
How do you prefer to procrastinate?
Reading, and by doing tangential and unrelated site research.
Tip from an elder.
Keep your stick on the ice
Summarize your thesis in a sentence or two.
I am designing a neutrino observatory to contemplate the implications of neutrino physics and quantum theory on architecture.
Danielle Gignac | M5
Where can you be found?
3018, or in the garden (yes, sometimes even when it’s under three feet of snow).
How do you prefer to procrastinate?
gardening. but it’s really productive procrastination. I also write letters. and take on other projects.
Tip from an elder.
make a place for yourself. and cultivate with care.
Summarize your thesis in a sentence or two.
my thesis lies in the spaces between bush and garden in remote northern ontario.
Amanda Motyer | M5
Where can you be found?
I usually work at home, but can always be reached by email. Occasionally I am in my office, Rm 3002.
How do you prefer to procrastinate?
Netflix is probably my biggest distraction!
Summarize your thesis in a sentence or two.
Architecture, like the media, is a language of mass communication: our surroundings can shape our perceptions of the world and how we understand it. My thesis is about proposing strategies for designing for service dogs and people with disabilities that attempt to remove the negative societal constructs surrounding disability, and create a prototypical community within a service dog training facility where people are people, regardless of ability.
Leanna Lalonde | M5
Where can you be found?
I’m usually at home set up shop at the kitchen table or in my office rm 3021.
How do you prefer to procrastinate?
Board Games! Nothing beats a round of Carcassonne over lunch or a coffee.
Tip from an elder.
Know when to take a break. Sometimes it’s hard to walk away from your desk when you have to get something done, but if you can find something fun to do that is either still productive or allows you to keep thinking about your work, it’ll pay off.
Summarize your thesis in a sentence or two.
A critical look at regreening in Sudbury, offering up a new take on land reclamation that leverages the cultural value of mine sites, arguing that landscape should stage conflict rather than smooth it over as a way of engaging the greater public in an ecology which is, as Guattari proposed, environmental, social and mental.
