(June 17, 2025) - This July, high school students from across the country will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of design as they attend Archi·North, a bilingual, tricultural summer camp that offers a one-of-a-kind experience in architecture. Hosted by Canada’s newest architecture school, the McEwen School of Architecture (MSoA) at Laurentian University, this summer marks the third year of Archi·North.
With registration now open, spots are filling quickly. Archi·North is offering four sessions—two in English and two in French—running throughout July and into early August.
“One of the things that the McEwen School of Architecture has done and has tried to do in the past since its inception in 2013 is to reach communities who aren’t usually served by architectural education or don’t have access to architectural education,” said Louis-Pierre Bélec, Assistant Professor at the MSoA, and Archi·North co-Coordinator. “Having grown up in Northern Ontario, architecture wasn't a profession presented to us and we wanted to change this, so we came up with the idea of Archi·North to introduce high school students to the field of architecture at a sooner point in their journeys toward a career.”
Beyond the skills and exposure to architecture that participants can expect, Archi·North helps demystify the university experience. Campers spend their week in the same studios, workshops, and critique spaces used by current architecture students. “This breaks down barriers,” Bélec explains. “Students get comfortable in the space. They meet professors and shop techs. And when they start university, they already feel like they belong.” Some camp instructors are even graduates of MSoA programs including the Bachelor in Architectural Studies and Masters in Architecture.
This vision of outreach is especially meaningful in Northern Ontario, where students from underrepresented backgrounds—including francophone and Indigenous youth—often lack opportunities to explore architecture. The MSoA is the only architecture school outside Quebec to offer courses in French. It is also the only architecture school in the country to offer bilingual options and to have French and English students, staff and faculty. This unique approach fosters a distinctive culture that reflects the cultural identity of Northern Ontario and introduces students to values dear to the MSoA: respect, inclusion and community.
Speaking about the hands-on approach of Archi·North, Brook-Lynn Roy, Sessional Instructor at the MSoA and co-Coordinator of the camp, explains that the program is intentionally designed to ground students in the fundamentals of architecture: drawing by hand, working with physical materials, and exploring how design relates to place and space. “We’re pulling students away from screens and giving them a chance to really engage with materials. They have opportunities to sketch, draft, and build models. It’s a truly immersive experience.”
Archi·North’s inaugural summer camp in 2023 offered only one week-long session, but positive feedback and demand from participants found faculty reimagining 2024’s summer camp with the introduction of a second week of programming. For students who have completed the introductory week, a second, more advanced session is available, focusing on deeper design work, scale model making, and even portfolio preparation.
Since the idea of accessibility has guided Archi·North since inception, registration fees are intentionally kept low, and the program has attracted support* from the North Bay Society of Architects, the Northern Ontario Society of Architects, and the Algoma Society of Architects, to fund Collab-North Sponsorships**— bursaries, to help high school students from Northern Ontario attend camp. The Architects' Association Of New Brunswick (AANB) is also sponsoring two out-of-province students to attend the summer camp, inspired by Archi·North’s spring visits to New Brunswick classrooms.
“Something we are really proud of is that Archi·North is mobile,” explains Bélec. After the summer camp’s success in 2023, the McEwen team applied and received funding from the Ontario Association of Architects to hit the road in order to offer their workshops in high schools across the province. Funding was also received from Laurentian University’s Office of Francophone Affairs. “We had set up the summer camp in such a way to have portable drafting tables, so we were essentially able to pack everything up in a van and visit students right in their high schools. We brought Archi·North to them.” To date, outreach efforts have inspired students in Windsor, the Ottawa region, Northern Ontario, and most recently, across New Brunswick. In that province alone and with funding support from the AANB, the McEwen team visited six schools and engaged nearly 90 students.
“It’s been a great experience,” Roy said; a sentiment echoed by Bélec. For these dedicated faculty, a moment of pride is witnessing Archi·North alumni become full-time students at the MSoA.
“Some of my current first-year students came through the camp,” Roy adds. “It’s amazing to see their growth, and how confident they are coming in.”
Summer sessions run from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. for five days, with all materials provided. Students have access to campus amenities and, if travelling from out of town, may request assistance with accommodation on campus or nearby.Students enrolled in the Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) program can also earn Sector-Partnered Experience (SPE) certificates through their participation.
More than just a camp, Archi·North is helping build the future of architecture—one student, one sketch, one model at a time.
*Other sponsors include: bélanger salach architecture, J.L. Richards & Associates Limited, Interfor Corporation, Wood Works, Laurentian University’s Indigenous Student Affairs.
**Applications for the Collab·North bursary program are due by June 20, 2025, and may be submitted to archicamp@laurentian.ca.