Personnel

Mohammad Basefat obtained his Bachelor of Architectural Engineering degree from Ferdowsi University of Mashhad and his Master of Architectural Engineering degree from Yazd University in Iran. Studying in Yazd, which is known as the centre of historical and cultural heritage in Iran, gave him the opportunity to focus on archetypes in Iranian residential buildings and gain a broad knowledge about Iranian historical houses which was his area of interest. This led him to design residential projects, including extended family housing, based on archetypes and to establish principles as a theory of design. He was a Teaching Assistant for “Residential Design” courses at Yazd University.

As a component of his work in archetypes and architectural history, he had the opportunity to work on a range of restoration and conservation projects in Mashhad and Yazd. To pursue his interest in construction, building science and project coordination he worked on mixed-use projects in Mashhad. This included high-rise residential and commercial buildings. He has received the WELL Accredited Professional designation from IWBI (International Well Building Institute).

Anna Beznogova is an Intern Architect with the OAA, a Certified Passive House Designer, and a RELi AP. Her main interests lie in sustainable, socially responsible, and resilient design and architecture. She holds a Master’s degree in Architecture and a BAS from the University of Waterloo. She was involved with the design and production of The Evidence Room exhibit for the 2016 Venice Biennale as part of the University of Waterloo team led by Robert Jan van Pelt, which subsequently traveled and was displayed in Madrid and Toronto.

Breanne Bornstein is a graduate of the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design, holding an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Architecture, with a Minor in Environmental Studies. She is interested in the convergence of the built form, landscape and nature through design, as well as the innate interdisciplinary condition of architecture. Breanne has experience working in residential architecture offices and is currently working in the landscape industry as a landscape designer in the GTA.

Peter Brueckner’s long standing interest in architecture is the motivation underlying the formation of the Canadian Museum of Architecture.  His professional training was as a physician and medical biochemist and his professional career includes teaching as an associate professor at the University of Toronto, directing clinical laboratories and founding and managing a software engineering firm.  He holds a MD (McGill), a MBA (Toronto), and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and a member of the Toronto Society of Architects.

Caitie Chornous holds a Bachelor of Environmental Design from the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Architecture where she graduated on the Dean’s Honour List. Her academic focus on the relationship between landscape architecture and social equity is reflected in her design work. She has worked at the Winnipeg Art Gallery since 2019, holding positions in Visitor and Museum Services and Learning and Programs. Her volunteer work includes developing a non profit organization that aims to create healthier communities which received first place seed funding from Evergreen Canada’s Future City Builders program. She is interested in the future of museums, the fictional spaces within literature and film, and the use of design for social and environmental sustainability. Caitie plans to pursue a master’s degree to continue learning about design.

Mathieu De Pompa is an Architectural Science Co-Op student at Ryerson University. His passion for sustainable architecture has led him to explore green building solutions such as mass timber and passive design in his studio projects. His conceptual ideas have garnered national attention after winning an Emerging Practitioners competition with the RAIC. After finishing his undergraduate degree at Ryerson, Mathieu plans to pursue a masters of architecture and eventually licensure.

Biden Hall is a Master of Museum Studies candidate at the University of Toronto and an Intern Exhibition Content Developer with the CMA. He holds a BA in Classical Studies and a Graduate Certificate in Arts Management from the University of Western Ontario, and has experience as a woodworker, A/V technician, and actor. He is interested in compelling exhibition design and engaging the public through storytelling and interactivity.

Alstan Jakubiek is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto where he focuses his efforts on the design of buildings and cities with emphases on human comfort, performance simulation, low-energy design, and renewable energy strategies. He believes that through data-driven processes, built environments can be created that support social interaction, require less energy, and last longer before being razed. Alstan co-creates the popular DIVA and ClimateStudio tools for calculating the daylighting and energy performance of buildings and cities and actively develops new software tools as part of his research. He also co-founded Mapdwell, a technology company dedicated to providing information to homeowners about the renewable energy potential of their rooftops. Before joining the University of Toronto, Alstan taught sustainable building and urban design at the Singapore University of Technology and Design. Alstan holds BA (Georgia Tech) and MA (University of Pennsylvania) degrees in Architecture, and a PhD in Building Technology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Jo Knelsen is a student at York University in the Honours Bachelor of Arts Program majoring in History.  Jo’s area of specialized interest lies in the development of western religion and its influence on society, including art and architecture. Once told they were “wildly creative”, Jo possesses a long history of art practice ranging from textiles to wet and dry media, from writing to digital art, which has resulted in a wealth of practical creative knowledge. These skills, in addition to their former work with museums and historic sites, have inspired their interest in architectural model building. Their goal is to create models that will engage the public not only as buildings, but as pieces of art and opportunities for public engagement in history.

Adil Mansure is a writer, educator and designer. He holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Mumbai University, a Master of Architecture from Yale University, and an MPhil in Architecture and Urban Studies from Cambridge University. His work emphasizes complexity: in artistic and architectural abstraction, language, technology, media, geometry, and in history—and in the translation of ideas amongst these disciplines. He enjoys curatorial work, well evident in his traveling exhibition Instrumentalities of an Eternal Baroque, where an emphasis is placed on historical discovery through making and drawing.

Evan is a museum professional who is passionate about the ability of built environments to engage and inspire diverse publics. He currently works for Clarington Museums and Archives in exhibitions and programs. He worked for Toronto History Museums developing and leading public programs for over 14 years. He holds an Honours BA in Art History (Queen’s University) and a Master of Education (University of Toronto). He is currently completing his MA in Art History at York University, and his research is funded by a Canada Graduate Scholarship – Masters. His article for the Journal of the Society for the Study of Architecture in Canada (JSSAC) explores 19th century architectural patronage in a transatlantic context.

Priyal Mehta graduated from Sarvajanik College of Engineering & Technology in India with a Bachelor of Architecture degree.  She was awarded the Gold Medals for her Architectural Design Thesis and for her outstanding academic performance.  She is currently a candidate in OCAD University’s graduate Strategic Foresight and Innovation Program.  At the same time she is completing an internship at the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation as an Environmental Designer in the Customer Experience and Service Design Department.

Priyal’s keen interest lies in design strategy and systems thinking.  Leveraging her diverse background in leadership, architecture and research, she strives to develop innovative approaches that stimulate meaningful discussion and encourage people to think strategically about the future.

Kevin Nguyen is an Architectural Technologist graduate from Humber College and holds a Bachelor of Design in Architecture from OCAD University. His passions lie in urban design, theory, history and research. With growing experience and knowledge, Kevin is committed to various issues in the field of architecture, the preservation of the profession and realizing the potential to achieve new standards that could transform our built environment. Kevin works at RWDI, a wind and environmental engineering consulting firm. He dedicates time to the Canadian Museum of Architecture as a model maker to create accurate depictions of architectural structures that will be used to explain various concepts to museum visitors.

Favour Oluwayomi is a student of architecture at the Laurentian University McEwen School of Architecture. Her interest lies in understanding the intricate intersection between humanity and the built environment. Favour’s architectural journey is driven by a profound curiosity about how people engage with architecture, how it influences our behaviours and the potential for creating culturally sustainable spaces and enhancing their resilience.

Chandni Rana is a Master of Architecture candidate at the University of Toronto.  She is interested in architecture’s role within various environments, which includes factors that influence and are affected by built forms.  Chandni graduated from the University of Toronto through the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design with a Honours Bachelor of Arts in architectural design, and architectural history, theory and criticism.  Since then, she has helped design and construct a welcome kiosk for Prince Edward County in 2018, led by Studio North, which is featured in the Interior Design magazine.  She has also been part of the exhibition design team at the Royal Ontario Museum, aiding with the design and generation of the following exhibits: Florals: Desire and Design, and The Cloth that Changed the World: India’s Painted and Printed Cottons.

Angela Piere Segovia holds a Master of Arts from Ryerson University in Photography Preservation and Collections Management. Angela obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Design and Architectural History, Theory, and Criticism from the University of Toronto along with a minor in Classical Civilizations Studies. She is currently an Archival Assistant at the Canadian Heritage Photography Foundation engaged in cataloguing, re-housing, and producing an online presence for photographs. Angela has written for the Ryerson Image Centre’s Red All Over: World War II Press Photographs From the SovFoto Archive exhibition contributing “The Architectures of War: War photography in panoramas, as ruins, and during battle”. Angela has completed a residency at the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design. As their first Archives Intern she had assessed, catalogued, and prepared the school’s digital photography collection for future systematization of collecting and increasing accessibility. Angela’s Master’s research focused on the construction of architectural knowledge and its dependence on the visual material of architectural ideas. Photography became a medium in which architecture could be documented, made reproducible, and that allowed architecture and its ideas to be translated into comprehensible knowledge. The unique character and use of architectural photographs in a pedagogical setting are discussed.

Wei Wei is a National First Class Registered Architect of China and a professional Intern Architect with the OAA. He holds a Master’s degree in architecture from Nanjing University and has 15 years of solid practice experience in professional architectural design. He skillfully combines creativity and technical expertise to craft spaces that seamlessly blend functionality and aesthetics. He has a strong passion for revitalizing ageing buildings and creating spaces that blend harmoniously with the natural environment.

Lanxin Yang is an architecture student at Laurentian University, working towards a Bachelor of Architectural Studies degree. She plans to also pursue a master’s degree in architecture. Her passion is to explore the meaning of architecture in its spiritual and emotional expressions, its stories, and in aspects other than functionality. She enjoys the logical analysis of design and the broader questions about humans and the built environment. Lanxin has an interest in constructing architectural models to accurately depict features that make buildings distinctive and meaningful.