New York is a city in constant motion, one that has crumbled and reinvented itself over again and again over the last few centuries. Today, it’s a shining vision of steel, glass and lights, stretching higher and higher upwards, while still holding onto its gritty foundation. While the Big Apple is a world of possibilities, rich with sights and sounds, stories and cultures, this article is a small log detailing the experiences of a few...
Treaty Lands, Global Stories stands with the Black Lives Matter movement and shares the pain of the Black community as they grieve the loss of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others. We also acknowledge the ongoing colonial violence enacted on Indigenous peoples and their communities. We stand with Indigenous communities as they grieve the recent murders of Chantel Moore (of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation in British Columbia) and Rodney Levi (of Metepenagiag...
Dear all, Please see the invitation to an informal conversation on Wednesday the 10th at 8 pm. We are making this safe and supportive virtual space available to everyone at the school for conversation and reflection on current events. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82324537197?pwd=OUNlTk9iUWVGc3hVTWtnK3djbG1Vdz09 Meeting ID: 823 2453 7197 Password: empathy
In the past few weeks, we’ve witnessed the horrific discrimination, violence and racism against the black community. These issues have been prevalent for a large component of our history. The tremendous uproar in regards to George Floyd’s death strikes a chord with many people as we confront the reality that even in 2020, we continue to marginalize people of color. In the architecture community, our involvement and activism is important in setting the stage for...
Waterloo’s third-year winter studio has always been an opportunity to explore the relationship between architecture and the city. The 2020 studio—“Our House is on Fire”— focuses on the intersection between two contemporary crises: the climate emergency and Toronto’s housing emergency. The challenge of the studio was to design a series of deeply affordable apartment buildings on City-owned and currently vacant sites along Sherbourne Street in the center of Toronto’s Downtown East. Each building was required to integrate complementary public programs at grade that would provide a network of support for low-income residents and form a single community land trust that would secure their affordability in the future.
Please click for embedded links! Dear all, As we are amidst a moment unlike any we have experienced in our lifetime, it is so important to remember the incredible community to which we belong. Seeing the deep collective anxiety that we face, largely due to the feeling of uncertainty, it is important to recognize our humanity, and to acknowledge all that we are grateful for. As a way to start, here are a few moments...
Waterloo’s third-year winter studio has always been an opportunity to explore the relationship between architecture and the city. The 2020 studio—“Our House is on Fire”— focuses on the intersection between two contemporary crises: the climate emergency and Toronto’s housing emergency. The challenge of the studio was to design a series of deeply affordable apartment buildings on City-owned and currently vacant sites along Sherbourne Street in the center of Toronto’s Downtown East. Each building was required to integrate complementary public programs at grade that would provide a network of support for low-income residents and form a single community land trust that would secure their affordability in the future.
At the Waterloo School of Architecture, the art of making is integral. Model-making and fabrication are a component of every studio course, often with a required final model. For some students, their interest has veered further towards the craft component of architecture. We wanted to interview these students to ask them—how can craft influence the design process? In the last part of this series we interviewed another one of our undergraduate students, Tomoki.
At the Waterloo School of Architecture, the art of making is integral. Model-making and fabrication is a component of every studio course, often with a required final model. For some students, their interest has veered further towards the craft component of architecture. We wanted to interview these students to ask them—how can craft influence the design process? For part three of this series, we interviewed Melody Chen, one of our 3A students who is a...
By: Melody Chen & Riling Chen When the Bauhaus opened in 1919, it was a stark shift from the traditional form of teaching the arts. They believed that artists should return to craft and instead of the typical teacher and pupil dynamic, the school was filled with masters, journeymen and apprentices. Their philosophy was simple, students should be able to live in and build the forms that symbolize their environment. At the core of the...
