New Canada Office: Council on Vertical Urbanism at DAS

The Council on Vertical Urbanism (CVU), formally launched its new Canadian office in TMU’s Architecture Building on October 9, 2025. 

The ribbon-cutting and reception brought together members of the academic, architectural, and development communities. The launch celebrates an important milestone for the Council's growing presence in Canada, strengthening collaboration between industry and academia in advancing research, innovation, and discourse on tall buildings and urban development.

The event marked the closing day of CVU’s international conference, "From the Ground Up: Tall Buildings and City-Making (external link) ," and was held in conjunction with a guest lecture by architect David Pontarini, founding partner of Hariri Pontarini Architects. Known for award-winning, innovative and variously scaled high-rise and mixed-use developments, including The Well (external link)  and One Bloor East (external link) , Pontarini’s thought-provoking talk considered the city as a complex assemblage, with examples from his architectural and artistic practice.

Freshly rebranded as the Council on Vertical Urbanism (external link)  (formerly the Council for Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat), this Chicago-based organization, established in 1969, has international offices in Shanghai, China, Venice, Italy – and now Toronto, being one of the fastest growing tall building regions in the world. 

As a leading global authority on vertical urbanism, CVU will collaborate with members of the Department of Architectural Science and the TMU community on research, events, and student engagement. Through this partnership, DAS students and faculty gain full access to CVU’s Tall Building Database, research tools, and global professional network. Additional perks include discounted registration for CVU events, and opportunities to publish, present, or participate in upcoming initiatives.

DAS students have already benefitted from this exciting new partnership. Fourth year undergraduate students in the Advanced Architecture Studio on Vertical Urbanism, led by guest instructor Alex Richter (external link) , Associate Principal at Adamson Associates, attended the International 2025 Toronto conference last week.

According to DAS Chair, Lisa Landrum, this partnership will inspire the next generation of design professionals and bring evidence-based intelligence to visionary city-building: “Sustainable urban development is core to what we do here at DAS. The Council of Vertical Urbanism is at the forefront of innovative design not only for density, but for environmental and social regeneration. The opportunities for collaboration and co-creation of new knowledge are huge.”

Want to connect with CVU-Toronto (external link) ? Stop by ARC 307 in TMU’s Architecture Building at 325 Church Street, or reach out to Canada Office Director, Will Miranda (external link) , and Associate Director, Isaac Work (external link) . 

Images by Elaine Nahli.