Ideas Competition Examines Intersection of Design and Human Health
Toronto, ON – As the world strives to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting Canada to reflect on its current approaches to long-term care and other health spaces, architecture’s impacts on human wellbeing—negative and positive—have taken centre stage. From considering indoor environmental effects on bodies and minds to designing truly inclusive, accessible spaces, what role does the architecture profession play in supporting human health, both in Ontario and around the world?

The SHIFT2023 Challenge invites the profession to explore the intersection of architecture and human health, and examine how innovative ideas could improve happiness and wellbeing. At scales ranging from a room to a building to an entire city (or beyond), how can new architectural approaches offer better outcomes?

The OAA is calling on its members, as well as those on the path to licensure, to push the limits of what’s possible and demonstrate how the architecture profession is uniquely positioned to inspire positive social change.

Project ideas must be submitted by Friday, January 13, 2023, and include written, visual, and video components showcasing how architectural thinking can advance insight and innovation. While submissions are welcome from teams of varied skills and professional backgrounds, the team leader must have status with the OAA.

The SHIFT Challenge is a juried program, with a diverse group of experts both within and alongside the architecture profession. The OAA is thrilled to welcome a new panel of jurors for the 2023 challenge, including:

• Principal at Diamond Schmitt, architect Greg Colucci is dedicated to advancing the practice’s mission of transforming lives through design, particularly in its healthcare portfolio, by helping effectuate positive outcomes for those who need them most. With three decades of experience, he is a leader in his field, with a belief in the restorative power of good design and a passion for sustainability, clarity of planning, and elegance in detailing;

• Toronto-based educator and architect Steven Fong, whose K-Town was a SHIFT2021 recipient. Fong founded Office Make Good (OMG), a pivotal player in the development of Toronto's West Queen West retail, restaurant, and hospitality venues. His eponymous architectural practice is most often recognized for an architectural oeuvre that derives from conditions that are small, quirky, and local;

• Founding principal of Montgomery Sisam Architects, Terry Montgomery’s career spans more than four decades. Montgomery believes that architecture can humanize institutional settings and nurture a more meaningful sense of place to live, learn, and heal. His work in healthcare emphasizes the importance of non-clinical spaces (both interior and exterior) to breathe new life into care environments and nurture physical and mental well-being;

• UK-registered architect, researcher, and educator Dr. Terri Peters (Toronto Metropolitan University), whose current research focuses on building performance in health environments, pre- and post-occupancy evaluations, and intersections between architectural quality and inhabitant quality of life in long-term care homes. Dr. Peters has authored and edited numerous publications, including more than 20 peer-reviewed publications about sustainable housing; and

• Medical anthropologist and educator Dr. Michelle Wyndham-West (OCAD University and McMaster University), who specializes in design anthropology with a focus on aging, equity, gender/intersectionality, health policy, and co-design. Dr. Wyndham-West’s current research focuses on housing instability among low-income older adults and aging in place in Hamilton, and equity-based policy frameworks for national housing policy development.

These jurors will be joined by our facilitator, architect John Stephenson—an OAA past-president and principal at FormStudio Architects (Thunder Bay), with extensive experience in housing, and care and treatment projects that cross the full continuum of care for seniors. Together, they will evaluate submissions against five key criteria:

- Innovation: Does the project defy convention and push thinking forward in a creative and original fashion?

- Social Responsibility: Does the project promote values of social responsibility, human rights, and sustainability?

- Inspiration: Does the project spark new ideas and capture the public imagination, taking into consideration the quality of its visual materials and public-facing communication?

- Inclusivity: Does the project promote a spirit of inclusiveness, situating architects as master collaborators?

- Holistic Approach: Does the project represent a programmatic solution that goes beyond the built form, taking into consideration economic, sociological, and ecological factors as well?

The jury will convene in February to choose their top selections, which will be announced prior to the OAA’s Conference events in the spring. SHIFT2023 recipients will share their ideas with their peers at the June 2023  OAA Conference: Designing for Dignity in Sudbury, as well as participate in virtual and in-person events later in the year, and be featured in a dedicated publication.
The Conference will also feature the presentation of the OAA’s 2023 Service Awards, as chosen by a special jury of architects.

Further Information
To learn more about previous participants or how to enter the SHIFT2023 Health and Architecture Challenge, please visit www.shiftchallenge.ca. You can also follow the Ontario Association of Architects at @oaarchitects on Twitter and Instagram, or visit our YouTube channel for interviews with past participants.

Media Contact
Erik Missio, OAA Communications Manager
416-449-6898, ext. 241
erikm@oaa.on.ca

About the Ontario Association of Architects
The Ontario Association of Architects is a self-regulating organization under the Architects Act, a statute of the Government of Ontario. It is dedicated to promoting and increasing the knowledge, skill, and proficiency of its members, and administering the Act, to serve and protect the public interest. This year, the OAA defined a new five-year Strategic Plan to guide the Association’s actions and initiatives. Visit www.oaa.on.ca to learn more.

About the SHIFT Challenge
The SHIFT Architecture Challenge is a biennial Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) program created to highlight the distinct contribution the architectural profession can bring to addressing key societal issues. Each edition focuses on a specific theme, and aims to demonstrate that good design can bring about positive change. The program invites those with OAA status, and their collaborative teams, to respond to an identified area of concern using their unique skills and insights.