Please join the University of Waterloo School of Architecture at Riverside Gallery for the opening reception of Masterworks.

The University of Waterloo School of Architecture presents Masterworks 2023, an annual showcase of exemplary graduate student thesis projects. This year’s exhibition is curated by alum Kurt Kraler around the themes explored in his graduate thesis “The Generic Spectacle” and his recently released book “The Signs That Define Toronto”, published by ERA Architects and Spacing.

Masterworks 2023 is entitled “The Signs That Define: Finding Meaning in Architectures of Exchange” and features the work of four MArch graduates including, David Ogbe’s design for a renewed Temple of Afrobeats in Nigeria, Weeney Lin’s exploration of the evolution of Chinatowns in North America, Emilie O’Neill’s design for Vancouver’s sex worker population, and Kelsey Malott’s revitalization of Los Angeles’ historic Sunset Strip. Each project thoughtfully documents, analyzes, and responds to an existing community. Since signage is a reflection of the community it advertises to, it can be one of many cultural artifacts that architects can document and observe during the design process. The various communities that each project explores not only focuses on the exchange of goods and services but the exchange of culture, music, and knowledge.

Come explore how each thesis project engages with existing communities and proposes a meaningful architectural expression.