The Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) has named student work from the Advanced Buildings Systems graduate course, led by Assistant Professor Jerry Hacker, as one of six winners of the OAA’s SHIFT2025 Challenge  competition.

Hacker, a registered architect, entered work by 11 Master of Architecture students at the Azrieli School of Architecture & Urbanism in a submission titled Speculative Assemblies, from Pine Needles to Pressed Coffee.

“This speculative research asks: ‘Is it possible to conceive of a cold weather, toxin-free, regenerative wall assembly, capable of creating more environmental healing than damage in the world?” he wrote.

Every two years, the OAA, the provincial regulator of architectural practice, invites participation in the Shift Challenge, which it describes as an “aspirational program…to highlight the distinct contribution which the architecture profession and architectural thinking bring to addressing key societal issues.”

This year’s theme was Reshaping Communities. It solicited architects to make proposals taking on the climate crisis, housing, and social change.

The six projects were chosen by a jury of experts for their creativity, feasibility, and emphasis on sustainability, while reflecting diverse strategies needed to create adaptable, inclusive, and climate-conscious communities, says the OAA.