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McEwen School of Architecture collects national awards

McEwen School of Architecture collects national awards

May 29, 2019 - Students and faculty members with the McEwen School of Architecture are earning awards and recognition both in Canada and around the world. Although the school’s inaugural Masters of Architecture class graduates this spring, McEwen has already garnered the kinds of prestigious awards and recognition one would expect from more long-standing institutions. 

 

Students recognized for projects that connect people to the landscape

Master’s of Architecture student Sophie Mackey was among seven winners of the Ontario Association of Architects’ first ever SHIFT 2019 ideas competition. 

Mackey received the honour for her thesis project, Immigrant Landscapes: Architecture in the Age of Migration. Her thesis explores how the City of Greater Sudbury can better accommodate new immigrants by centralizing many of the services critical to this population demographic. Mackey imagined and designed the integration of a small library, a daycare and a learning centre to help welcome newcomers to the community.

To add to the accolades, Architecture students Brendan McDonald, Muskan Goel, and Harrison Lane received honourable mention at the National Capital Commission design competition.

Their design goal was “to re-connect people with the river in addition to its amenities by using water to re-calibrate existing infrastructure. This would provide a social gathering hub where activities of different scales can happen from markets and festivals to picnics and playing.”

 

Professor Tammy Gaber receives Women Who Inspire Award 

The Canadian Council of Muslim Women recognized McEwen School of Architecture assistant professor Tammy Gaber with its annual Women Who Inspire award on Sunday, April 28, 2019.

“Challenging the conventional stereotypes, these women proudly serve their communities and are a source of inspiration for all Canadians,” said the Canadian Council of Muslim Women. 

Gaber is among seven recipients from across Canada for 2019. Much of her research has focused on the architecture of Islam and in particular, on contemporary mosque design. She is also the first recipient in the field of architecture.

 

Rob and Cheryl McEwen to receive Words & Deeds Leadership Award

The world renowned Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs is honouring Rob and Cheryl McEwen with its Words & Deeds Leadership Award for their volunteer work and philanthropy. 

Cheryl McEwen is a volunteer, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. Rob McEwen is founder and former CEO of Goldcorp and now Chair and Chief Owner of McEwen Mining Inc. 

In 2016 the couple donated $10-million to Laurentian University, and helped make the McEwen School of Architecture a reality. 

In addition to the McEwen School of Architecture, they have also donated to The Rob & Cheryl McEwen Graduate Study & Research Building at the Schulich School of Business, York University; the McEwen Leadership Program at St Andrew’s & Lakefield College Schools; The Toronto General & Western Hospital Foundation; Mount Sinai Hospital; The Weizmann Institute; The Grand Cru Culinary Wine Festival; the Art Gallery of Ontario; and Toronto’s Luminato Festival. Internationally, Cheryl and Rob are also both engaged with Virgin Galactic, X-Prize Foundation, International Society of Stem Cell Research Conference (ISSCR), the Duke of Edinburgh Awards, and the Prince’s Charities.

 

First graduating class from Canada’s newest architecture school awarded degrees during 2017 Spring Convocation

First graduating class from Canada’s newest architecture school awarded degrees during 2017 Spring Convocation

Renowned Canadian architect Marianne McKenna also receives honorary doctorate during the McEwen School ceremony

Students in the charter class of Laurentian University’s McEwen School of Architecture were awarded their diplomas today during an afternoon convocation ceremony. The McEwen School began welcoming students in September 2013, making it the first new school of architecture to open in Canada in 45 years.

“I am very proud of all the students graduating this year. They are now truly part of Laurentian University history,” said Terrance Galvin, Director of the McEwen School of Architecture. “This school was the product of many years of hard work involving the entire Greater Sudbury community. I know that this charter class will make us all proud by using their design talents to enrich their communities for years to come.”

Planning for Laurentian University’s school of architecture began in 2007 and was helped along through much cooperation and financial contributions from all orders of government and the community. It was later renamed the McEwen School of Architecture in honour of generous philanthropists Rob and Cheryl McEwen.

Classes began in September 2013 with McEwen students involved in many high-profile projects. In only three years, they received many prestigious national and international awards for their design work, including taking first place at the 2016 Bergen International Wood Festival in Norway. The school’s new state of the art facility, located in the historic CP Telegraph building in downtown Sudbury, opened its doors in January 2017. The building reflects the McEwen school’s vision for architectural design by incorporating original elements with modern and high-tech features, while also casting a spotlight on Indigenous design and heritage.

Making the Spring 2017 convocation even more special for the charter class was the presence of renowned Canadian architect Marianne McKenna of KPMB Architects. The award-winning designer was invited by Laurentian to receive an honorary doctorate for her contributions to the worlds of architecture, education, and advocacy.

“When I spoke to this year’s graduating class, I told them to be proud of their past accomplishments while always looking forward to their next achievements,” said Dominic Giroux, President of Laurentian University. “The same is true for the McEwen School of Architecture. We are very proud of all we have accomplished over the last decade. But now we are looking ahead to the next steps including new research, and most notably the new Masters in Architecture program that begins in the Fall.”


View Graduation Ceremony

 

About Laurentian University

Laurentian University offers an outstanding university experience in English and French, with a comprehensive approach to Indigenous education. Laurentian University, situated on the traditional territory of the Anishinabe peoples of Atikameksheng First Nation, prepares students as agents of change and empowers them to create innovative responses to local and global challenges. Laurentian’s students benefit from small class sizes and exceptional post-graduation employment rates. With nine Canada Research Chairs and eighteen research centres, Laurentian is a recognized leader in its specialized areas of research strength, which include mining innovation and exploration, stressed watershed systems, particle astrophysics and rural and northern children’s health. Laurentian University has secured over $200 million in research income in the past five years. 

Laurentian celebrates official opening of final capital phase of the McEwen School of Architecture

Laurentian celebrates official opening of final capital phase of the McEwen School of Architecture

$45 million 72,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility located in Sudbury’s downtown core

Laurentian University today proudly celebrated the official opening of the final capital phase of the McEwen School of Architecture, completing a $45 million 72,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility located in Sudbury’s downtown core.

“This is a proud day for many people at Laurentian and within the broader community,” said Dominic Giroux, President and Vice Chancellor of Laurentian University. “The McEwen School of Architecture has been ten years in the making and has been made possible through many partnerships and collaborations. It’s an uplifting example of transformative change, achieved through community alignment and a shared vision.”

Planning for the School of Architecture began in 2007 when members of the Greater Sudbury community and Laurentian University representatives, recognized the economic benefits and the opportunity to leverage regional expertise in creating a unique educational opportunity.

Dr. Terrance Galvin, Founding Director, joined the team in January 2012 and has been a visionary for this unique program that embraces the resiliency of northern people and the unique beauty of the northern Ontario landscape.

“The past five years were about taking the vision and making it operational. This includes the design and construction of the new buildings, the implementation of the Bachelor of Architectural Studies program, and the approval of the Master of Architecture program,” said Dr. Galvin. “The next ten years will see a greater focus on expanding research opportunities.”

The McEwen School of Architecture welcomed its charter class in September 2013. In only three years, students have already distinguished themselves and the School through numerous national and international awards, including a first place win at the Bergen International Wood Festival in Norway in May 2016.  This cohort will graduate in June.  The School will launch its Master of Architecture graduate program in September.

“This is an incredible milestone not only for Laurentian but for the City of Greater Sudbury, the Province and indeed for Canada,” said Jennifer Witty, Chair of the Laurentian University Board of Governors. “Laurentian’s McEwen School of Architecture is the first new school of architecture to open in Canada in 45 years. It is the first school of its kind in Northern Ontario and the first in Canada outside Québec to offer courses in French.”

The School was made possible through forward-thinking investments by the Ontario Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development, the City of Greater Sudbury, Rob and Cheryl McEwen, the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation, FedNor, the Centre for Research and Innovation in the Bio-Economy, Blaine and Lise Nicholls, F. Jean MacLeod Trust, Susan and Perry Dellelce and many other private donors.

 

About the McEwen School of Architecture

The McEwen School provides an immersive educational experience that conveys the inherent necessity of pairing technical expertise with a full understanding of the spirit of landscapes, and the people who inhabit them, in order to design smart, sustainable and functional buildings. As the 12th School of Architecture in Canada, the McEwen School was conceived as a venue for students from the North to be able to study architecture in their region. It will also encourage recent graduates to stay and become a part of the growing design community in the North. The McEwen School will be recognized for its research and design with wood, its research into indigenous architecture, as well as its expertise in studying the Sudbury Basin as a source for design.

The McEwen School is housed in a magnificent new $45 million complex in downtown Sudbury designed by LGA Architectural Partners totalling 72,000 sq. ft. including two century-old repurposed buildings formerly owned by CP Rail and CP Telegraph, and a final phase of 52,000 sq. ft. A highly competitive program, enrolment will rise to 400 students by 2018, when it will have 25 faculty and staff.

The philosophy of the McEwen School is founded upon pride of place. It is an unfolding experiment in emerging pedagogies and diverse cultures. Gathering a faculty and student body that are French, English, Métis and Anishinabek reflects Laurentian’s unique purpose to offer an outstanding university experience, in English and in French, with a comprehensive approach to Indigenous education.

 

McEwen School of Architecture Awards and Recognition

In addition to three separate “Insight Grants” awarded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) to Dr. David Fortin, Dr. Tammy Gabor, and Dr. Kai Mah, the following awards or recognition have been received by students, in collaboration with McEwen School of Architecture faculty members:

  • 2016    CCA Annual Interuniversity Charette: Reassembling the North
    “Public Opinion Prize” awarded for Nutri-Nunavik: The Potential of Northern Farming (team of undergraduate students)
  • 2016    IIDEX Canada
    Student Edward Chung selected to exhibit EAB Floor Lamp, in Toronto
  • 2016    Bergen International Wood Festival
    McEwen Architecture students win “First Prize” for design-build wood installation (Profs. Tammy Gaber, Randall Kober + students)
  • 2015    Pride House that Kids Built, Sudbury for Para Pan-Am Games
    Human Resources “Award of Excellence,” Ontario Ministry of Northern Development and Mines for installation quilt of children’s “Inclusion in Sports” paintings. (Professor Thomas Strickland + students)
  • 2015    Science North
    “Partnership Award” given to McEwen School of Architecture, for design of Dynamic Earth Pavilion (Profs. David Fortin, Roch Belair, with Francis Thorpe + students)
  • 2015    CANStruction
    “People’s Choice Award” for PARALLAX: “a” is for architecture
    (Prof. Terrance Galvin + students)
  • 2014    International VELUX Award for students of architecture (Vienna)
    “Honourable Mention” for “Northern Lights” Ice Fishing Hut design
    (Prof. Tammy Gaber + students)

 

About Laurentian University

Laurentian University offers an outstanding university experience in English and French, with a comprehensive approach to Indigenous education.  Laurentian’s students benefit from small class sizes and exceptional post-graduation employment rates.  With nine Canada Research Chairs and nineteen research centres, Laurentian is a recognized leader in its specialized areas of research strength, which include mining innovation and exploration, stressed watershed systems, particle astrophysics and rural and northern children’s health. Laurentian University has secured over $100 million in research income in the past five years.