Alexa Megan Holder's recreational love of wild waters grew into an academic interest that guided her towards Waterloo’s Faculty of Engineering for a Bachelor of Architectural Studies (BAS).
This fall, Holder crosses the stage at convocation to mark the completion of her undergraduate degree, though her studies at Waterloo will continue. Holder recently began her Master of Architecture (MArch) degree in the Collaborative Water Program, with funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). For her thesis, she plans to focus on how building design can mitigate flood related issues and disasters.
Overseen by the University’s Water Institute, the Collaborative Water Program involves 11 academic units to deliver the most interdisciplinary water graduate program in Canada. For Holder, this opportunity to focus her research on water, and work with students from other disciplines, is invaluable.
“University studies are typically siloed into faculties,” Holder says. “You don’t often get a chance to collaborate with other disciplines, share knowledge and ideas, and engage with different viewpoints — at least not formally.
“And yet in practice, a lot of what we do as architects is an interdisciplinary effort that can involve engineers, designers, archeologists, policy makers, social workers, urban planners and more. Interdisciplinary academic experience is critical to elevate our research and our work. I believe it will help prepare us — and many other professionals — for the big issues that we hope to address in the coming years.”
Go to Making waves in the world of amphibious architecture for the full story.