Shannon Bassett recently returned to Sudbury from a trip to Venice, Italy. And while she was enveloped in the city's breathtaking architecture, the assistant professor at the McEwen School of Architecture (MSoA) was not there simply to see the sites.
She was there to attend the opening of the "Time Space Existence" Exhibition at the Palazzo Mora (European Cultural Centre), which showcases her urban design project developed with input from her graduate students and two prestigious Indian collaborators.
Bassett was project lead on the submission titled “Recovering the Public Spaces of Shahjahanabad – the Old Walled City of Delhi – through Participatory Architectural Conservation and Ecological Urbanism."
Founded around 1640, the old city of Delhi is a cultural and heritage treasure that has become chaotic with dilapidated buildings, crumbling infrastructure, overcrowding and traffic. Built for about 60,000 people, the population is 350,000, many of whom are unhoused.
"The old walled city is also challenged by climate change and flooding during monsoon season," said Bassett, who has visited India several times including when she was studying for her undergraduate degree in architecture at Carleton University.
In graduate school, she studied urban design at Harvard University, and is interested in how good design can impact urban and social change.
Bassett's 2021 graduate studio did their work from Sudbury because they were unable to travel during the pandemic. But last October, she and members of her 2022 studio went to the Indian city to conduct field work and visit useful precedents, including Chandigarh, Jaipur and Agra to learn more about sustainable architecture and urban design.
Participants from MSoA's 2021 first-year masters studio were Sarah Belchkar, Nicole Brunet, Lauren Carr, Jonathan Kabumbe, Aaron McRoberts, Tiffany Membrere, Janae Rodrigues, Sydney Sheppard, Maddy Yarrow,and Keller Ziesmann.
The 2022 class contributors were Jordyn Brown, Kayla Bubalo, Elif Efe, Troy Garcia, Mariem Kadhim, Vincent Mak, Jan Paolo Masangkay, Natalia Sawant, Brooke Smith and Emily Stephan.
Bassett's collaborators in India were Anuradha Chaturvedi from the Delhi School of Planning and Architecture (SPA) and Smita Datta Makhija, principal of AVESANA Architects and chair of ICOMOS North Zone.
Chaturvedi, a high-profile Indian architect in heritage conservation, is an advisor to the authorities developing Shahjahanabad 2041, a new masterplan for Delhi. Bassett hopes to present her project to Indian officials this fall.
The MSoA research project is funded by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Insight Development Grant.
The "Time Space Existence" exhibition runs concurrently with the Venice Architecture Biennale, considered the most prestigious architecture event in the world. International influencers will have an opportunity to see it now through Nov. 23.
While Bassett was in Venice, she connected with her former colleague, David Fortin.
"I had the opportunity to attend the opening of Architects Against Housing Alienation's (AAHA) 'Not for Sale?' exhibit at the Canadian Pavilion at the Biennale. Our MSoA former director Métis architect David Fortin (now at the Waterloo School of Architecture) was part of this group that curated the exhibit,” Bassett said.
"I went to the opening. The head of the Canada Arts Council introduced it and the Canadian ambassador to Italy was there. The next day there was a talk with 10 teams (of experts) from across Canada about the housing crisis, representing geographic locations across Canada. Each team was represented by an architect, a community activist and community planner."
This is a particularly busy time for Bassett. Later this month, she will take part in a moderated presentation at the Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) convention being held in Sudbury for the first time.
"I am moderating a panelist discussion featuring three award-winning women architects who practise in northern Ontario. The session is entitled, 'Building Equality(ies) in Architecture North – BEA(N): Building Coalitions'."
The presentation is about challenges, barriers and opportunities for women architects.
A co-founder of BEA(N), Bassett was honoured in January by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) for Excellence in Architectural Education with the Diversity Achievement Award honourable mention for, in part, her leadership in the collective of women who work in architecture in northern communities including Sudbury, North Bay, Timmins, Yellowknife and Iqaluit.
About half of the student cohort in architecture school are women, "but when we launched Women in Architecture (WOAS) in 2020, later BEA(N), there were only three licensed women architects in Sudbury. But that is changing," said Bassett.
The OAA 2023 Conference, "Designing for Dignity", takes place in Sudbury from June 21-23.
Bassett will be attending the OAA President’s Reception and SHIFT2023 Challenge and Honours event at Science North June 22 to applaud MSoA graduate Erica Gomirato, who is winning an award for her thesis project.
Bassett was Gomirato's thesis advisor on her plan which proposes a mixed-use development in Toronto’s Dominion Foundry buildings.
Bassett has published a book and numerous articles on architecture and urban design, serves on committees of numerous professional associations, is a member of the Laurentian University senate, and represents the senate on the board of governors.
She has lectured in China, India, South Korea, and the United States.
Read Bassett's article for "Canadian Architect" on developing Toronto's port lands.
Vicki Gilhula is a freelance writer. Arts & Culture is made possible by our Community Leaders Program.
