Future students

Waterloo Architecture students Kailing Mai and Lora Tarassov have won a 2026 AIA COTE Top Ten Award, marking the school's third consecutive victory in this global competition. Their winning project, 'Cultivating Cycles,' offers a sustainable expansion of the Cambridge Farmers' Market that seamlessly connects vendors and the community. The adaptive reuse design was praised by jurors for preserving the site's heritage while introducing interactive spaces like a garden classroom and greenhouse.

University of Waterloo architecture and engineering students claimed the top three prizes at the 2025-2026 Canadian Institute of Steel Construction (CISC) Architectural Student Design Competition. James Miller and Luke Carone won the Award of Excellence for Resonance, while the teams behind Thirteen Ascents and UBC Tropical Conservatory secured second and third place, respectively. The national contest challenges students to creatively utilize exposed structural steel in ambitious architectural frameworks. Under the guidance of professors Terri Meyer Boake and Cory Zurell, the winning Waterloo projects were recognized for their unique interplay of scale, light, and natural greenery.

A team of students from the University of Waterloo School of Architecture and the Department of Architectural Engineering has been selected as a winner in the 2026 Winter Stations international design competition. Their installation, Crest, is now on public exhibition at Woodbine Beach in Toronto from February 16 to March 30, 2026.

Material Syntax: 3D Printed Masonry Façade Systems is on view at the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery from January 16 – March 27, 2026

The School of Architecture is proud to celebrate the achievements of Elisia Neves (BArch ’08, MArch ’12), who was recognized with the Alumni Achievement Medal for Professional Achievement at this year’s University of Waterloo Faculty of Engineering Awards Dinner.

The University of Waterloo School of Architecture in Cambridge is showcasing student-led research that responds to community needs at local and international scales. Two recent projects highlight how Waterloo students combine design, technology, and collaboration to advance affordable housing and accessibility.

Waterloo Architecture Professor Lola Sheppard is co-curator of Sikumit Aisimajugut / At Home on Ice, an exhibition that explores ideas of home and housing across Inuit Nunangat—from the intimate scale of domestic spaces to the broader forces of policy, logistics, and climate change.

Earlier this month, students from the University of Waterloo School of Architecture showcased innovative housing concepts in Toronto’s Kensington Market as part of an exhibition titled “What Could a Community Land Trust Neighbourhood Look Like?” The exhibition, held December 13 - 21, featured work from the studio course “Architectures of Relation: Infilling Affordable Housing in Kensington Market,” led by Associate Professor Adrian Blackwell.