Designing Places for People to Meet

chibaMonday, February 8 – Friday, February 12, 2016

Award-winning architect Manabu Chiba proved he has as much stamina as talent by delivering 4 lectures in 3 cities in 5 days, explaining his personal and professional philosophy of how building design functions to facilitate people’s interaction with spaces as well as with each other.

Mr Chiba’s first stop was Ottawa, where he opened his tour on February 8th with a talk before a large crowd of architecture enthusiasts as part of the Forum Lecture Series presented by Carleton University’s Azrieli School of Architecture and Urbanism. The following day, he delivered another talk in the more intimate setting of the Japanese Embassy, hosted by Japan’s Ambassador to Canada, H. E. Kenjiro Monji.

On February 11, Mr. Chiba delivered a talk at Montreal’s Canadian Centre for Architecture, where he warmed up the crowd with his description of a guide dog training centre project in Shizuoka Prefecture.Even Montreal’s polar temperatures could not dampen Mr. Chiba’s spirits, and instead he enjoyed the opportunity to fully test out his brand new souvenir of Canada: a Canada Goose coat.

Mr. Chiba’s final Canadian stop was Toronto, where he spoke on February 12 to a large crowd who braved the frigid weather to join us at U of T’s George Ignatieff Theatre. Mr. Chiba described the ways in which the social roles of buildings have the potential to evolve and expand beyond originally intended functions in the same way that trees grow new branches. His explanation of a community housing garden project made more than a few of those in the auditorium rethink the way we look at fences.

For those who missed the talks, click here for a link to Manabu Chiba’s February 11 talk at the CCA.