Awards & Distinctions / Published on May 24, 2023

Share to

The OAA is proud to announce the selections of its SHIFT2023 Challenge, which focused on the theme of
“Health and Architecture.”

SHIFT2023 Challenge

The SHIFT Challenge is a biennial, aspirational ideas competition that is open to all those with OAA status and their collaborative teams. From community-based solutions that prioritize mental health to rethinking transit-oriented neighbourhoods, five honourees were selected by a jury of architects and health experts for showcasing the power of design thinking and the ability of the architecture profession to offer new approaches to supporting human health:

Emily Lensin’s “Amygdala” (a proposed elevated network of pathways and gathering spaces through the existing canopies of Toronto’s Woodbine Beach);

Howard Rideout’s “Finding Balance in the Landscape of Muskoka” (a plan to create a 200-acre wilderness preserve and public place of contemplation, repose, and reflection);

Erica Gomirato’s “Healthy Cities: Sustainably Adapting the Dominion Foundry Complex” (a proposed mixed-use development for Toronto’s remaining heritage Dominion Foundry buildings);

Gordon Stratford and Alison Lumby’s “Hospital Precinct Commons” (a proposed transformation of a major downtown-Toronto block’s exterior spaces into a multi-functional parkland that blurs boundaries between institutional care and community-based support);

Naama Blonder and team’s “Scaling Down: Shifting to Transit-Oriented Communities at Human Scale and Human Speed” (which puts people’s needs ahead of cars with scaled-down streets and open spaces).

A special event will take place at Conference, with more to follow.

Visit the OAA website for updates

Read also