“Forever inspired” Students explore 10 countries in travelling studios
February 11, 2025
Travel to experience buildings, cities, and historic and contemporary cultures has long been part of an architect’s education. We still admire the early travel sketchbooks of architects such as Louis Kahn and Arthur Erickson who went on to become well-known. Their explorations completed their studies.
The Azrieli School of Architecture & Urbanism at Carleton University continues the tradition and adds to it by integrating travel into the academic program. The school offers the Directed Studies Abroad program for undergraduates and the Option Studio for graduate students.
This month, more than 100 students will make trips as part of their studio. Guided by faculty and instructors, they will visit 10 countries: Albania, Belgium, Egypt, England, Italy, Portugal, Morocco, Peru, Spain, and the United States.
“Travel has long been an integral part of learning at the Azrieli School of Architecture & Urbanism,” says Director Anne Bordeleau. “Faculty members and instructors have research and expertise in different areas of the world, and they generously contribute much time to offer thought-provoking windows into these various sites. These are outstanding learning opportunities for students.”
Nine groups will explore nine different itineraries, ranging from eight days to four weeks, and the architectural questions that they bring into focus. Themes range from healthcare and Indigenous knowledge to conservation and urban revitalization.
Taking part are students in the Bachelor of Architectural Studies program in all three streams, Design, Urbanism, and Conservation and Sustainability, and Master of Architecture students in the two and three-year programs.
“I am confident that this trip will be an enriching experience for the students, providing them with new ideas and inspiration for their studio projects,” says Adjunct Professor Lyette Fortin, who is leading a group through Rome. “They will return from the Eternal City forever inspired by its history, architecture, and conservation efforts.”
Many students received funding through the Directed Studies Abroad bursary program, established by alumni in 2006 and supported by donations. “As costs continue to rise, the contributions of our donors have gone a long way in helping us make travel as accessible as possible to all our students,” says Dr. Bordeleau.
Here are snapshots of the 2025 trips:
Albania (Tirana, Durrës, Krujë, Gjirokastër, Thumanë)
Dates: Feb. 15-22
Leader: Assistant Professor Suzanne Harris-Brandts
Students: Third-year BAS (Urbanism) — Celia Boyd, Emilyn Monzon, Glenn Zhang, Julianna Avramidis, Logan Thurman, Maddy van Ryswyk, Muskan Sharma, Sameer Patel, Shannelle De Croos, Venessa Lei, Victoria Guile
Students in the Global Perspectives Studio are visiting Albania to see the dramatic urban transformations underway and to learn about the country’s rich history. In the capital, Tirana, students will spend time with residents, architects, scholars, and urban activists, learning about their changing city while walking together through neighbourhoods. Heading to the mountains, the group will visit the ancient town of Krujë, before going to the nearby town of Thumanë to tour a new settlement for those displaced by a 2019 earthquake. In the seaside city of Durrës, students will visit a 2nd-century AD Roman Amphitheatre and observe the local impacts of tourism development. Finally, the group will head south to the town of Gjirokastër, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Spain (Madrid, Segovia, Toledo)
Dates: Feb. 14-23
Leaders: Associate Professors Zachary Colbert and Johan Voordouw
Students: Master of Architecture — Faeza Afrin, Alvin Ahn, Dennis Avgerinos, Mostafa Bdeir, Tess Coman, Basil Currie, Andre Cusson, Haseena Doost, Maria Fares, Alexis Gawlina, Hassan Hannawi, Jasmine Hersh, Daniel Kendall, Kaylee Komatich, Rashida Leslie, Will Loizides, Kaleigh Mackay, Chloe Maignan, Shagana Muttiah, Sun-Woo Park, Noah Perkins, Jasper Silver-King, Rebecca Sondermeyer, Christopher Sproule, Asha Stott, and Chloe Theriault
The trip to Madrid and its surrounding cities offers first-year Master of Architecture students a comprehensive fieldwork experience that emphasizes the essential processes of sketching and analyzing architecture and sites. By visiting a diverse range of historical and modern buildings, students will engage with the built environment in a hands-on and meditative manner. The practice of sketching allows for a deeper understanding of spatial relationships, proportions, and materiality. Through these activities, students will develop critical observation skills, enhance their ability to articulate architectural concepts, and foster a greater appreciation for the complexities of urban design. In Madrid, they will visit cultural buildings such as the Museo Reina Sofia, Caixa Forum, and the Matadero as well as social housing projects.
Rome, Italy
Dates: Feb. 16-23
Leader: Adjunct Professor Lyette Fortin
Students: Third-year BAS (Conservation & Sustainability) — Brette Brohman, Lauren Difruscio, Cynthia Faustin, Beth Hosler, Calvin Lee, Ivan Price, and Calli Swain
Students will visit sites that offer profound insights into various architectural conservation philosophies developed over centuries. The class will also see three historically significant hospitals: the Celio Military Hospital, Santa Maria de la Pietà, and the Presidio Ospedaliero Santo Spirito in Sassia. Each of these sites has undergone or will undergo rehabilitation to serve the evolving needs of the community. These visits will inform their studio project — an adaptive reuse of the original Civic Hospital Building and its Nurses’ Residence in Ottawa. At the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) the students will hear a presentation on its global conservation work. The group will also learn from scholars at the Sapienza University of Rome, Department of History, Representation, and Restoration of Architecture.
Egypt
Dates: Feb. 14-23
Leader: Assistant Professor Menna Agha
Students: Master of Architecture — Sara Henry, Sarita Elisabet Hernandez, Vanessa De Alexandris, Faris Itum, Rayannah Hwang, Oksana Tkach, Weixi Zhong, Hannah Baird, Alyssia Dicorato, Cole Marotta, Melanie Xie, Steven Jung, Vincent Tourangeau, Ben Segal, Evan Martyn, and Farbod Eini Sarghin
Students will visit Aswan and Cairo. This architecture studio course takes an abolitionist ecological stand in an African context, with a specific focus on Nubian displacement and the Aswan. Students will examine the intersection of architecture, water relations, Nubian culture, and the land rights movement in the context of this sacred ecosystem. The course will emphasize Afro-rooted visualization methods. Students will learn lessons from and about African and abolitionist perspectives, Nubian architectural history, and the history of dams and development, inducing displacement and resettlement, with a critical examination of the UNESCO World Heritage scheme.
Lisbon, Portugal, and Marrakesh, Morocco
Dates: Feb. 15-23
Leader: Adjunct Professor Honorata Pienkowska
Students: Third-year BAS (Design) — Nashia Williams, Kylie Cozad, Claudia Cabral, Angelina Crea, Tia Dang, Casey Pantaleon, Sabine El Jamil, Nala Elliott, Hanna Manzano, Sana Al Ouf, Ashleigh Gillen, David Mokine, Natalie Banks, Mang Vum, plus George Gialouris-Tsivikas and Nohl Matesic who are in fourth-year.
Students will dive into the studio theme “Tracing the Intangible”, based on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity designations. The objective is to sharpen the ability to decode influences affecting cultural formations — in this case, those found between North Africa and Iberian Europe. In Lisbon, students will visit sights such as Castelo de São Jorge, Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, and the Expo ’98 site, while in Cascais, they will explore the Citadel and Fortress, and Casa das Histórias Paula Rego. In Marrakech, the itinerary includes Majorelle Gardens, Bahia Palace, Ben Youssef Madrasa, the Jemaa el-Fnaa, the Yves Saint Laurent Museum, and more. Students will also experience the Agafay Desert.
London, England, and Brussels, Belgium
Dates: Feb. 14-23
Leader: Professor Ozayr Saloojee
Students: Master of Architecture — Aniq Chaudhry, Noah Desjardins, Andrea Booth, Theo Jemtrud, Daphe Stams, Dylan Jozkow, Patrick Forster, Mikhala Gibson, Bryan Ye, Muchen Ge, Keegan Metheringham, Jeremie Lafleche, Krisha Thakkar and Emma Monfette
The themes are the colonial footprint of museums and landscapes, looted artifacts, repatriation, cultural patrimony, reparations, extraction, and emancipatory spatial practice. For Dr. Saloojee’s studio, students will select a non-Western artifact from a colonial museum and propose a “heist.” In London, the group will visit the British Museum with Dr. Adeyemi Akende from London Metropolitan University, the John Soane Museum, and the Victoria and Albert Museum with curator Brendan Cormier. The students will also attend reviews at the Royal College of Art with Tutor Dima Srouji. In Oxford, they will visit the Ashmolean, and the Pitt Rivers Museum with curator, author, and professor Dr. Dan Hicks. In Belgium, they will trace the implications of Leopold II and his colonial project in the Congo, meeting with Nina Serulus, of the Flanders Architecture Institute, and visiting places such as the AfricaMuseum.
Genoa, Italy
Dates: February 14-24
Leader: Professor Federica Goffi
Students: Third-year BAS (Design) — Noah Parenteau, Ciaran Head-Smith, Griffen Bowers, Liam Bergeron, Emma Yau, Jossie Kosasih, Fan Frank, Morgan Brenner, Victoria Lee, Evan Berkes, Gail Cardoza, Achilla Hamilton, Jaime Kfouri, Nicole Schwab, Amelie Murphy, Gabriel Normandeau, Ryan Hollander, Evan Wang
Students will explore Genoa’s monumental squares, alleyways, museums, and historic buildings, such as the Palace of the Doges, the Cathedral of San Lorenzo-Duomo di Genova, and Palazzo della Borsa. They will tour major projects by Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW) including the redevelopment of the old port area, and the Waterfront di Levante, a new urban district. Highlights include a visit to the Renzo Piano Foundation in Vesima, where students will meet with archivists and architects and discover both well-known and ongoing projects by RPBW. They will go to the University of Genoa’s architecture school and hear a lecture by Professor Stefano Musso about the city’s urban development. They will also visit Aldo Rossi’s Teatro Carlo Felice. For their studio project, the students will design a cultural house on the seacoast.
Peru
Dates: February 9 to March 2
Leader: Assistant Professor Jake Chakasim
Students: 14 Master of Architecture students
The Global Indigenous Option Studio will take students to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Cusco and Machu Picchu. By applying an Indigenous worldview with land-based experiences, this studio affords a planning and design knowledge exchange with Indigenous peoples. Students will work with the host community in Potato Park, learn from Indigenous knowledge holders, and respond with a series of site-specific design strategies. The studio considers both traditional and contemporary Indigenous lifestyles and social, political, economic, and environmental forces. It asks: ‘How do we as designers represent people who are different from ourselves?’ There will be lessons in conservation and heritage, climate change and adaptation, architecture, agriculture, and archeology. Students will also hike the Inca Trail and go on excursions to Maras Moray, Rainbow Mountain, the Sacred Valley, and Maras Salt Mines.
New Orleans, USA
Dates: Feb.15-22
Leader: Associate Professor Catherine Bonier
Students: Fourth-year BAS (Urbanism) students in Dr. Bonier’s class. While not all students are travelling, all are conducting research sited in New Orleans.
This trip is an initiative of the Carleton Urban Research Lab (c-url), focused on water, cities, and equity. Transdisciplinary artist and storyteller Monique Verdin will spend two days with the class on her grandmother’s land in Saint Bernard Parish. She will teach the students about Southern Louisiana, and they will assist her with work on a medicine garden and barn rehabilitation for The Land Memory Bank & Seed Exchange. The group will also work with community co-op Civic Studio’s Gulf South Open School in Village de l’Est around the Canal Gardens. Students will assist with mapping and planting. They will meet with community members to learn about ongoing projects to soften and cultivate canal banks to provide greater resilience in the face of climate change and land loss.