AL&D, University of Toronto - Personal Project (2007)
The project to redesign the building for the Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design at the University of Toronto was conducted out of person interest. As a student of the faculty, interaction with the building occurs on an almost daily basis, allowing an understanding of the problems associated with the existing structure. Built originally for the Faculty of Dentistry, the masonry building is not particularly suitable as one for architectural education. There is an inflexibility towards the layout of the building, studio spaces are limited, and an awkward layout largely separates the undergraduates, graduate students and the professors.

The brief was thus to design an entirely new building which was to stand on the same site, with a program that was suited specifically for architectural purposes. Studio spaces were to be plentiful, the existing library was to be expanded, and interaction between the different characters within the faculty were to be encouraged. Its role within the larger context of the university was also to be considered, along with the general atmosphere of the interior.

Standing at the south-west corner of the University of Toronto, the building was thought of as a new gateway towards the campus. With a large glass facade along its south and west side, it opens the building and the university up towards the city, as well as bringing in light to the interior studio spaces. The north and eastern side of the building is to be made completely of reinforced concrete as these two faces of the building look towards the walls of other structures of the university.

The interior arrangement of rooms are planned around a simple navigational system, placed predominantly in the centre facing the main entrance. Rooms stem from this hallway on each floor, extending towards the skin of the building to allow maximum penetration of light. No floor is placed directly above another one, allowing a higher ceiling level to be achieved to increase brightness and reduce the need for artificial lighting. It also raises the awareness of students towards the cityscape outside the window, reminding them of the humanist needs of architecture.

In basic hierarchical form, the offices of professors and the dean are placed on the top floor. Workshops, lecture halls and the library are placed towards the lower level as they demand more space. Structural supports exist in the form of a central core which also houses the elevator, washrooms and utilities of the building. The glass facades are also reinforced with steel columns for structural support.