Dr. Stephen Fai to attend Heritage 2010 Conference

Dr. Stephen Fai will be attending Heritage 2010 - 2nd International Conference on Heritage and Sustainable Development in Evora, Portugal June 22 to 26, 2010.  Dr. Fai's has submitted a paper entitled "Material Imagination and Religious Archi...[more]

Dr. Stephen Fai presents at SSAC's 2010 Conference

Dr. Stephen Fai will deliver two presentations at the Society for the Study of Architecture in Canada 2010 Conference in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia May 26th to 29th, 2010.  The presentations are entitled "St. Michael's and the Icon of Ponass Lake...[more]

Architectural database archives 'little jewels'

At the top of a hill, several kilometres outside of anything resembling a town, sits a quaint — however haggard — little church in southwest Saskatchewan. Dating back to the late-1800's when European and Scandinavian settlers f...[more]

Cultural carpentry traditions in prairie religious houses

Hundreds of tiny, neglected and abandoned churches, synagogues, mosques and temples on the Canadian Prairies once rang out with the voices of those who came to worship. They are ancient reflections of the cultural diversity of the immigrants ...[more]

Stephen Fai of Carleton University's School of Architecture using digital media to speed treatment for degenerative diseases

Imagine quickly pulling together the scientific results of top researchers from around the world who are trying to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. It’s a visual diagram of interdisciplinary results – a snapshot of the latest...[more]

CDMISA

The Cultural Diversity and Material Imagination in Saskatchewan Architecture (CDMISA) project is concerned with the documentation, dissemination, and conservation of ethno-cultural building technologies brought to Canada by immigrant communities. While the process of cataloguing historically significant, ethno-cultural buildings and building typologies is well underway, a systematic register addressing the fabrication of Canada's architectural heritage remains to be developed. Cultural Diversity and Material Imagination in Saskatchewan Architecture (CDMISA) is a first step in addressing this lacuna. We argue that the methods and materials of construction used by immigrant communities make visible the rich cultural diversities that characterize this country and therefore constitute an invaluable heritage resource. Further, our preliminary research suggests that buildings fabricated by the hands of community members and used specifically for religious practice are particularly relevan...[more]