Waterloo Architecture

Waterloo Architecture students won several awards in the 4th Annual GVSA Student Competition, organized by the Grand Valley Society of Architects.

Three projects claimed $1,000 first-place awards:

Hespeler Symposium by Matthias Pahlavi and Sophie Spiegl (Collaborative Category & People’s Choice Award).

Takwaxíikaan (Turtle House) by Jackson A., Leif Lovlin, and Sophie (Jinhong) Rioux (Creative Category).

Moving Cities by Jessica Wang and Jessica J. (Technical Category).

Honourable Mentions were given to:

Rivercourt Commons by Megan Sobkowich and Mariem Saad (Collaborative Category)

Community Roots Innovation Kitchen by Caelan Shaw (Technical Category)

Rising Tides by Molly McCormack (Creative Category).

To learn more about the winning projects, visit:

Waterloo Architecture Students Win Top Honours at GVSA Student Competition | Architecture | University of Waterloo Students from the University of Waterloo School of Architecture have earned top recognition in the 4th Annual GVSA Student Competition.

Congratulations to Assistant Professor Linda Zhang and the entire team behind Let’s Build a Collective Memory of Chinatown! This groundbreaking initiative has been recognized with the Heritage Toronto Public History Award, celebrating its innovative approach to preserving living heritage through community-led storytelling and design.

The project, developed as part of Assistant Professor Linda Zhang's ARCH 393 Option Design Studio, ran from Fall 2024 to Spring 2025 in Toronto and Cambridge, bringing together over 300 Chinatown residents across four generations to explore how shared memory and imagination can safeguard the area’s heritage and foster community stewardship.
gathering.

“Let’s Build a Collective Memory of Chinatown” Wins Heritage Toronto Public History Award | Architecture | University of Waterloo “Let’s Build a Collective Memory of Chinatown” Wins Heritage Toronto Public History Award

Two University of Waterloo architecture students, Matthew Dlugosz and Simon Liao, have been recognized for their outstanding design work at the 35th Toronto Urban Design Awards.

Matthew Dlugosz and Simon Liao win Toronto Urban Design Awards | Architecture | University of Waterloo Waterloo Architecture students, Matthew Dlugosz and Simon Liao, have been recognized for their outstanding design work at the 35th Toronto Urban Design Awards.