When I was in my last year at U of T, the Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design’s café held a design competition. My now-husband Stephen Kopp (MArch 2005) and I were in the same year but had never worked together, and we thought: Let’s try this out. Mugs were always scarce at the student-run coffee shop, so we decided to create “Your Mug Wall” – a grid of cubbyholes, each containing a student’s mug shot, along with their personal mug. We wanted to create a sense of ownership, and of being part of a community.
We came second, but we had fun. The competition provided a lesson in play, and showed us what you can accomplish when you’re enjoying yourself. We’ve both carried this into our practice, Acre Architects in Saint John, New Brunswick, which we launched in 2010. Our first project was a colourful art installation at a bus stop, meant to shine through the frequent fog.
At architecture school, you spend long hours together – not only talking about ideas, but getting the chance to be critical and supportive, so you get to know people in depth. I think that’s unique. And it’s really nice that our partnership, in life and in business, was founded on a simple moment at U of T.
Read more about Monica Adair: http://www.chatelaine.com/living/monica-adair-ms-chatelaine/
Recent Posts
Fighting for Justice
In her latest documentary, filmmaker Nisha Pahuja tackles a most difficult topic – sexual assault
Rogers Foundation Gives $90 Million to Usher in New Era in Cardiac Care
Gift will enable the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research to expand its research into heart failure – and save lives
Solving a Climate Puzzle, One Tree Ring at a Time
A natural archive reveals how Canada’s arctic climate has changed over the past 1,000 years