Architecture of Place: Travel Studios - Tokyo, Japan 2024 + Barcelona, Spain 2025

The exhibition brings together the work and experiences of students from recent DAS travel studios.  Students immersed themselves in two cities of extraordinary architectural character: Barcelona, led by Assistant Professor Jennifer Esposito,  and Tokyo, led by Associate Professor Will Galloway. Participating in firm visits, guided tours, and independent exploration, they experienced the diversity of culture embedded in architecture and urban form, from the layered historic fabric of Barcelona to the everyday complexity of Tokyo.

Each city offered lessons in how architecture comes from context and culture. In Barcelona, students engaged with the city’s vibrant public spaces, its integration of art and architecture, and the enduring influence of Gaudí’s modernism. In Tokyo, Students studied train stations and the way they functioned as destinations as much as people movers.

Together, these experiences provided a comparative lens through which students could reflect on Toronto’s own urban identity. By observing how other cities negotiate density, mobility, and public life, students sought insight into creating a richer architecture at home. Travel became a form of research and a catalyst for critical thinking.

The exhibition was designed by Master of Architecture students and Barcelona Travel Studio participants, Mikayla Burmania, Aidan Chui, Sabeeh Mobashar, and Golara Pourvakil.

Students from the 2025 Barcelona Travel Studio:

Fatema Alidina, Mehakpreet Bhutta, Mikayla Burmania, Zhiwen Cai, Leshin Chew, Aidan Chui, Dante Di Croce, Giuliana Fonseca-Velazquez, Mirko Garcia, Sidra Homam, Duha Ismail, Keira Meredith, Sabeeh Mobashar, Golara Pourvakil, Abdul Rauf, Olena Ternawski, Jeffrey Zee

Students from the 2024 Tokyo Travel Studio:

Noah Fong, Yan Gao, Chloe Yuen, Khang Le, Dana Elsayed, Sonia Adam, Sarah Tang, Wanyi Zhang, Druti Sood, Alia Bahomed, Nolan Wong, Anna Goncharouk, Emmet Abdulhadi, Rahaf Al-Ashqar