Design for the Global Majority at the McGill Peter Guo-Fua School of Architecture
October 2 - 27, 2023
This comprehensive exhibition at McGill University’s School of Architecture built upon the first exhibition at the McGill McLennan Library, emphasizing the lasting impact of the Minimum Cost Housing Group (MCHG). Spanning fifty years of groundbreaking contributions, the exhibition delved into the MCHG’s work through five thematic axes:
Upcycle, Harness, Plan, Leverage, and Hack.
A curated selection of archival materials—including photographs, architectural drawings, research reports, videos, tools, and artifacts—illustrated the group’s profound influence and enduring relevance in global architecture. Visitors explored how the MCHG’s practical experimentation and collaborations with local and international partners led to the creation of full-scale housing prototypes both on the McGill campus and globally. The exhibition highlighted the group’s dedication to sharing their findings through publications and educational outreach, fostering connections among architects, researchers, and policymakers committed to advancing global housing equity.
Complementing the exhibition were a symposium, keynote lectures, guided tours, and workshops organized in collaboration with diverse groups. These activities underscored the MCHG’s dedication to knowledge dissemination and capacity building among professionals and stakeholders focused on promoting sustainable architectural solutions.
Curators: Vikram Bhatt, Ipek Türeli, Arièle Dionne-Krosnick Research: Arièle Dionne-Krosnick, Beatriz da Silva Takahashi Exhibition Design: Marie-Ève Tourigny, Nathaniel Chavez-Baumberg Graphic Design: Tamzyn Berman, Atelier Pastille Rose Media Lab: Juan Osorio, Coordinator Woodshop: David Speller, Chief Technician, Athanasia Blounas, Technician Circularity Consultants: Melania Grozdanoska, Sébastien Beauregard, and Jonathan Tremblay, Co-founders, SURCY Recovered Material Supply: Gilbert Lee, Owner, Wing Noodles, Adrien Latinis, Director of Sales and Operations, Ecosceno French Translation: Justine Jacob-Roy Audio/Visual: David Deckelbaum Volunteers: Diane Charbonneau, Amanda Liel Chavez-Baumberg, Guillaume Lebel, Didier Morelli, Gabrielle Goldman
Project Collaborators
Workshop Leaders
Manish Ojha and Mark Lefsrud, Biomass Production Lab, McGill University
Melania Grozdanoska, Sébastien Beauregard, and Jonathan Tremblay, Co-founders, SURCY
Émile Forest, Co-founder, Nouveaux Voisins
Guided Tours
Gonzalo Lizarralde, Université de Montréal
Georgia Cardosi, Université de Montréal
Canadian Centre for Architecture
Martien de Vletter, Associate Director, Collection, Gwen Mayhew, Head, Collection Access, Tim Klähn, Reference Librarian, Céline Pereira, Administrative Coordinator, Collection
Bauhaus Dessau Foundation
Regina Bittner, Deputy Director, Philipp Sack, Research Associate, and participants of Bauhaus Lab 2020: Mya Berger, Leticia M. Brown, David Davalos Sanchez, Ines Glowania, Denisa Kolarová, Maryia Rusak, Martha Schwindling, Léonie Thrioux
McGill Library
Jennifer Garland, Head Librarian, Tellina Liu, Archivist and Liaison Librarian for the Moshe Safdie Archive
Student Assistants for Design for the Global Majority: From the Library Archives, at the McGill Library (April-June 2023): Christopher Malouf, Hannah Mansfield Thiessen, Abigail MacKenzie
Symposium Speakers
Georgia Cardosi, Université de Montréal, Tasneem Chowdhury, University of Illinois at Chicago, Carmela Cucuzzella, Université de Montréal, Leila Marie Farah,Toronto Metropolitan University, Meredith Gaglio, Louisiana State University, Cassidy Johnson, University College London, Rune Kongshaug, Produktif, Gonzalo Lizarralde, Université de Montréal, Marie-Pierre McDonald, BC2, Jesus Navarrete, Inter-American Development Bank, Rachelle Navarro Åstrand, Sweco Sverige AB, Bushra Nayeem, University of Kansas, Zeenat Niazi, Development Alternatives Group, Balakrishna Menon Parameswaran, World Bank Group, Witold Rybczynski, University of Pennsylvania, Martha Schwindling, Studio Martha Schwindling, Lee Stickells, University of Sidney, Varun Thautam, Varun Thautam Architects, Meltem Yılmaz, Hacettepe Üniversitesi, Martien de Vletter, Canadian Centre for Architecture
Institutional Support
McGill University Peter Guo-hua Fu School of Architecture
David Theodore, Director and Associate Professor, David Covo, Associate Professor, Nik Luka, Associate Professor, David Krawitz, Administrative Officer, Marcia King, Post-Professional Master’s Program Graduate Secretary, Larissa Kowbuz, Accounts Coordinator, ASA, Architecture Students’ Association, and GASA, Graduate Architecture Students’
Association
Yan P. Lin Centre
Jean-Félix Caron, Administrative Assistant
Faculty of Engineering
Milica Popovic, Associate Dean for
Research and Innovation, Antonella Fratino, Communications Officer, and Shannon Yue Gao, Digital Marketing Administrator
McGill Office of Sustainability
Shona Watt, Associate Director, Peter Garber, Sustainability Officer, Divya Sharma, Climate & Biodiversity Officer
Faculty of Science
Jacky Farrell, Science Outreach Program Advisor, Megan Phillips, Science Outreach Educator
Trottier Institute of Sustainability in Engineering and Design (TISED)
Subhasis Ghoshal, Director, Monika Skonieczny, Manager, Parisa Hassani, Digital Communications and Outreach Associate, Irene Toffolo, Administrative Coordinator
Sponsors
Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)
Peter Guo-hua Fu School of Architecture
Trottier Institute of Sustainability in Engineering and Design (TISED)
Yan Lin Centre, Research Group on Democracy, Space and Technology (RGDST)
McGill University Faculty of Engineering
Sustainability Projects Fund (SPF)
Laboratoire d’étude de l’architecture potentielle (LEAP)
Canada Research Chair in Architectures of Spatial Justice
Design for the Global Majority at the McGill McLennan Library
April 12 - June 9, 2023
The inaugural exhibition at McGill University's McLennan Library Building provided a first look at how student thesis work, research papers, technical reports, and various publications were instrumental in disseminating the innovative research of the Minimum Cost Housing Group. Spanning five decades, the MCHG's research addressed diverse challenges such as mitigating environmental impacts of building materials, reducing operational environmental costs, and exploring culturally appropriate design norms.
The exhibition highlighted the evolution of the MCHG’s objectives and research priorities, reflected in the changing aesthetics of their publications—from countercultural environmentalism to DIY influences, photocollages, aerial perspectives, and computational imagery. On display were photographs, architectural drawings, step-by-step instructions, visual aids, cartoons, and collages.
These materials were sourced from the archival holdings of the McGill Library’s John Bland Canadian Architecture Collection, including the Alvaro Ortega Fonds, Witold Rybczynski Fonds, and the personal collection of Vikram Bhatt.
Curators: Vikram Bhatt, Ipek Türeli, Arièle Dionne-Krosnick Research: Arièle Dionne-Krosnick, Beatriz da Silva Takahashi Design and Communication: Abigail MacKenzie, Christopher Malouf, Hannah Mansfield Thiessen Library Consultants: Tellina Liu, Jennifer Garland