Tammy Gaber at the Aalto Archives in Finland. Photo courtesy Tammy Gaber
Equity, diversity and inclusion have been important topics of discussion throughout the AED industry in the past year. Some of the most sustained conversations have been happening in Canada?s architecture schools, with measures underway ranging from curriculum reform to a re-examination of hiring and admission practices.
An encouraging sign of positive change is that two of these architecture schools are now headed by visible minority women. Chinese-American professor Juan Du is the new Dean of the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design at the University of Toronto. Muslim-Canadian professor Tammy Gaber is the new Director of the McEwen School of Architecture at Laurentian University. While Canadian architecture schools have had a strong history of being led by women, Du and Gaber are the first non-white women to assume the top position. Their new roles are a well-deserved outcome of their research and academic work. Simultaneously, Du and Gaber will be powerful standard-bearers for their institutions?and important agents for continuing to move architectural education in progressive directions.
Juan Du. Photo courtesy Daniels Faculty
Personal history has influenced the research work of both scholars. Du immigrated from China to the United States following primary school; she has studied and worked in Switzerland, Italy, Paris, and Hong Kong. ?My bi-cultural heritage and multi-c...