M.Arch. student Valeria Nuyanzina wins Michael Evamy scholarship

Professional M.Arch. student Valeria Nuyanzina has won the 2018 Scholarship in Honour of Michael Evamy for her research proposal entitled Stitched Imprints of Living Memory.  Nuyanzina writes, “Through studies of casting, montage and narrative, I hope to understand in detail how architecture and memory have the ability to bring citizens together. Architecture has the potential to activate neighbourhoods by treasuring people’s stories, supporting cultural diversity, and evoking creative engagement with memory.”

The scholarship is available to a Canadian student attending a Canadian school of architecture in the year prior to his or her final year of study of their professional degree program. DIALOG established the Michael Evamy Scholarship Foundation to honour the memory of Michael Evamy, a partner instrumental in building their integrated practice. Valued at $5,000, the award provides financial assistance to the selected student to undertake a specific research project based on a field of study of interest to him or her. Up to $3,000 is also available for project related expenses, including travel.

DIALOG’s selection committee of the Michael Evamy Scholarship was impressed with Nuyamzina’s proposal that aims to understand perceptual qualities of memory and reveals ways in which architecture may be defined through the layered stories of the community’s inhabitants. Donna Clare, DIALOG principal and selection committee member, comments, “The exploration of memory and meaning in architecture and Valeria’s proposal to engage the community in her research intrigued the selection committee. It is particularly interesting to explore this idea at a time when more computational approaches to design are becoming dominant.”