A drawing by Carleton University architecture student Dominic Dumond entitled “A Strange Classroom” explores the world of virtual learning. ?I wanted to convey a message [about] how our traditional learning space has morphed into something quite bizarre and incomprehensible,? says Dumond. The drawing won an Honorable Mention in the Azrieli School?s 2021 Murray & Murray drawing competition.
Architecture school has always been a hectic place filled with young, driven students. Every member of my class entered the program looking to become an architect, without any real understanding of what the profession entails. We quickly learned the pace, expectations, and rigour that an architectural education required. Before the pandemic, our culture of high-intensity work was maintained on campus, including in long, unhinged all-nighters spent in studio, and when a deadline was finally over, we could return home to recover. Like every other aspect of the world, the COVID-19 pandemic completely overturned our education in March of 2020. I immediately felt how the way we had been operating would not work at home. I would sit at my dining room table with my laptop for hours a day, eventually having to make space when it was time for family dinner. School and home very quickly mutated together, creating an environment which was not suitable for either.
Our school was forced to quickly adapt to using online platforms,

a process which was quick for students, but a challeng...