The COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on the architecture profession in Ontario. In this session, we will explore how shifting paradigms brought on by the pandemic will impact design thinking and the practice of architecture as a whole. What does recovery look like? What fundamental changes brought about or amplified by the pandemic are going to change how we design? And, from the perspective of business management, what can we do to design our individual and collective recovery as a community? What can we learn from this past year and the pandemic?

The panel will share insights and ideas around the future of design, including key take-aways from this past year. They will discuss what paradigm shifts they anticipate for the industry, and potential changes to the design of our built environment in response to the pandemic. We will also hear from the business community so that we can collectively determine the changes that we can anticipate for practices.

Learning Objectives:

1. Discover design trends that could change the way we design projects and the projects we design
   
2. Determine effective design approaches that will address the issues and concerns amplified by the pandemic
3. Learn about the best practices that will allow a practice recover from the economic impacts of the pandemic
   
4.  Discuss key factors for successful organizational growth for that comes next
   

Speakers:

Fan Zhang AwAwDe (Awesome Awesome Designs)

Fan Zhang founded her practice AwAwDe (Awesome Awesome Designs) in 2015.  She graduated from the University of Toronto with a bachelor's in Applied Science and Engineering and a master's in Architecture. Before starting AwAwDe, Fan has worked in numerous architecture offices including HWKN (New York), BIG (Copenhagen), MAD (Beijing), and B+H (Toronto). Her built work ranges from single-family housing to institutional complexes. Through her experience working and living in different countries and cultures, Fan has developed a great passion for the cross-discipline of vernacular architecture and modern social communities.

Richard Hammond
Cornerstone Architecture

Richard Hammond is the Founder and Principal at Cornerstone Architecture Incorporated in London Ontario. Since its establishment in 1991, Cornerstone’s work has focused on four sectors: design for children, design for community, design for education, and design for the elderly. Cornerstone is also active in the design of green and high-performing buildings. In 2004, Richard became a LEED Accredited Professional through the Canada Green Building Council, which led to an ongoing interest and involvement in the design of sustainable buildings and communities. He became a Green Globes Certified Professional in 2009. In 2011, he completed an online graduate program in Sustainable Technology at Arizona State University. In 2017, he completed the Executive Program at Singularity University in Palo Alto and continues to participate in this network of leaders in emerging technologies. Also in 2017, he received a Masters of Environment and Resource Studies from the University of Waterloo. His thesis focused on impacts of buildings on the urban environment and the merits of green versus blue roof systems.

Ceara Copps – Edwards
Ontario Chamber of Commerce

An experienced and passionate public affairs and communications professional with diverse background and experience, Ceara Copps – Edwards joined the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) in 2017. As Manager of Public Affairs at the OCC, Ceara leads communications and government relations on key policy issues and reports as well as signature events such as Advocacy Day, the Ontario Economic Summit, In Discussion with Deputy Ministers, Ontario Business Achievement Awards, and the Ontario Business Advisory Council roundtable series. Ceara currently sits as the Communications Chair for the Public Affairs Association of Canada (Ontario Chapter) board. With her love for delicious food and healthy eating, Ceara started her food blog, Ceara’s Kitchen in 2013 which has grown into a sustainable business with 200+ new and original healthy recipes, 95K+ social followers & 200K pageviews a month, featured on Huffington Post, Buzzfeed, One Green Planet, Yahoo News, and MSN News. Ceara has a BA (Hons) from the University of Ottawa as well as a Master of Science and Culture in Cultural and Social Anthropology from the KU Leuven in Belgium. The KU Leuven has been ranked the most innovative university in Europe according to Reuters. Born and raised in Toronto and having lived in Ontario, Quebec, France, and Belgium, Ceara is an adventurer who currently resides in Toronto with her dog, Henry.

Michael Szabo 
Diamond Schmitt

Michael thinks big. Many of his projects at Diamond Schmitt are large-scale, multi-year undertakings that transform institutions and communities. Master planning and designing the 18-million-square-foot Vaughan Metropolitan Centre represents a new paradigm for transforming suburbs into dense, mixed-use urban place making. The Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning at the Hospital for Sick Children redefined medical research design as one of the largest laboratories in the high-rise form. This 21-storey LEED Gold tower is designed for interdisciplinary exchange to enhance collaboration and interaction and support the new mantra of ‘team science’. Michael is a passionate advocate for green buildings and led the integrated sustainable design for the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) campus master plan and buildings, which received the RAIC Award of Innovation Excellence and the SCUP award for campus design. He was instrumental in developing ecoMetrics, a data-driven tool for comparative energy-use modelling. Not everything Michael designs is on a grand scale. The Camilla and Peter Dalglish Atrium at the Royal Botanical Gardens integrates a delicate, sunlit gathering space within the landscape. He has designed the living laboratory of sustainability at McMaster University’s Hatch Centre.

Moderator:

John Stephenson
FormStudio Architects Inc.