Samantha Eby announced as the next Emerging Practitioner

Waterloo Architecture O'Donovan Director, Maya Przybylski has announced that the 2025 recipient of the Emerging Practitioner fellowship is Samantha Eby (BAS '14).

"I'm delighted to welcome Sam back to Waterloo Architecture as our Emerging Practitioner Teaching Fellow. Sam's drive for innovation at the intersection of design, policy and ownership is exciting and timely as we continue to face affordable housing challenges within and beyond our region. I know her diverse approaches and commitment to excellence in both research and design will be inspiring to many in our community over the next two years."

Samantha Eby is a licensed architect and researcher based in Toronto. Through her work she explores the intersection of design, policy frameworks, and ownership models, focusing on their impact on housing projects. In 2024, she founded this—office, an architecture and spatial research practice committed to exploring new typologies and models of architecture through non-traditional collaborations and research.

She is also the co-founder and the Executive Director of ReHousing, a nonprofit organization focused on supporting housing creation through applied research, consultation, and education. ReHousing’s work on multiplex zoning was recognized with the 2023 CMHC President’s Medal for Outstanding Housing Research.

"I am honoured to be the recipient of the Emerging Practitioner Teaching Fellowship. As someone whose work exists between design and research, this fellowship is a rare and exciting opportunity to bring questions I’m grappling with in practice—around housing, systems, and agency—into the classroom. I am looking forward to meaningfully engaging with students, faculty, and the broader Waterloo community as we explore the role of design within broader social, political, and economic systems."

Samantha holds a Master of Architecture from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Architectural Studies from the University of Waterloo. She was awarded the 2019 Canada Council for the Arts Prix de Rome for Emerging Practitioners.