Learning from the Land
As part of CAFÉ 2026: Indigenous Knowledge and Design, the Upper Atrium of the Department of Architectural Science (DAS) hosted a week-long exhibition of student work from Indigenous-led courses at DAS. Presented by the Canadian Architecture Students Association (CASA-ACÉA), the exhibition showcased select student work from ARC920 Advanced Architecture Design Studio (Fall 2024, Fall 2025), led by Erik Skouris (Two Row Architect), and AR8106 Current Topics in Architectural Praxis: Indigenous Form Making (Fall 2025), led by James Bird (Moriyama Teshima Architects / Massey College), along with other Indigenous curriculum development initiatives in DAS, which have been underway since Spring 2024.
This exhibition was one of six CAFÉ 2026 events led by DAS 4th-year student, Arvin Ashouri, current Chair of the Canadian Architecture Forums on Education and Vice-President of CASA-ACÉA. The March CAFÉ 2026 Indigenous Knowledge and Design forums took place across Canada in Halifax, Winnipeg, Montréal, and Toronto, including the Tkaronto panel and the Indigenous reading and guided tour hosted at the University of Toronto, John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design.
CASA’s installation brought together drawings, models, and research panels exploring how Indigenous-led approaches are being engaged within studio and coursework. Launched on March 9th, the exhibition remained active in the atrium through March 13th, allowing students and faculty to encounter the work as part of their daily movement through the school.
(Clockwise from top left): Alex Tran, Luke De Bartolo, ARC 920 Team Model (2025), and Luca Castellan.
Reflecting on the valuable experience in these courses, students offered the following remarks:
“Learning from the land means learning from relationships between people and place. I’m honoured to have curated a space to share this collective work with the TMU community and beyond, as part of the CAFÉ 2026 forum series.” – Arvin Ashouri
“Learning Indigenous design has reframed my understanding of architecture as a relational practice grounded in land, community, and responsibility. It has emphasized the importance of listening, learning, and designing for community, rather than simply for form ” - Karlie Nguyen
At the centre of the installation was the “Areas of Impact” diagram from the TMU Indigenous Design Guidelines, developed by Two Row Architect in collaboration with TMU’s Indigenous Space Sub-Working Group. The circular table allowed visitors to walk around the diagram and explore its interconnected guiding principles while referencing them to the surrounding student work shown throughout the space.
Indigenous Design Guidelines by Two Row Architect and Toronto Metropolitan University
Students from the University of Toronto Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design also visited the exhibition, contributing to conversations between schools around how Indigenous-led design is being explored in architectural education. As part of CAFÉ 2026’s national forum series, the exhibition created an additional format for engaging forum themes through spatial and visual work within the shared environment of the school.
This exhibition aims to contribute to TMU’s commitment to reconciliation and Learn more about Indigenous curriculum development at DAS here. See also TMU’s First 10/Next 10 project, reflecting on truth and reconciliation efforts – and where we go next.
