A view of empty corridors at the UBC School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, from the school’s Instagram feed.
This September brings a back-to-school like no other. Remote learning will be the norm at universities across the country, presenting particular challenges for the study of architecture?a discipline grounded in physical space.
A few of Canada?s schools of architecture will be offering a hybrid model of in-person and remote learning. At the University of Manitoba?s Faculty of Architecture, half of the students will attend in-person studios on one studio day, and the other half will attend on a different studio. Assigned desks, along with enhanced cleaning, have been implemented to promote a safe learning environment. At the Université de Montréal?s School of Architecture, the majority of teaching will happen online, but two courses will be offered in-person?one in a computer lab with a limited number of students, another that takes place outdoors during the study break. For studio courses, site visits and crits will also take place in-person.
McGill?s Peter Guo-hua Fu School of Architecture will likewise be almost entirely online, with a few exceptions?some local field trips, a PhD graduate seminar, and part of a field sketching course will be conducted in-person. ?There is an open possibility of conducting final design reviews in person, but I am not sure yet if any instructors will want to profit from the opportunity,? adds director Martin Bre...