The 2022–2024 cycle of the CCA-WRI Research Fellowship Program explored the relationship between light and the built environment in a time of ecological crisis.

Long associated with hygiene in architecture and urban space, light also raises questions about epidemiology, changing patterns of labour, and alternative forms of energy. Against a backdrop of climate change and energy challenges, the program reconsidered the role of light in the built environment through three perspectives: “Above,” “Below,” and “Between.”

From 2022 to 2024, the program brought together nine fellows from fields including architecture, human geography, anthropology, and the visual arts. Each year, three fellows undertook research residencies at the Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA), pursuing individual projects informed by that year’s theme. Drawing on archival and library materials in the CCA Collection, they exchanged ideas and approached the relationship between light and the built environment from different disciplinary perspectives.

The first year focused on the “above,” exploring sunlight as an urban commons with both ephemeral and material dimensions. The fellows examined tower design and access to daylight in Montréal, the East End of London, and New York.

The second year turned to the “below,” examining underground spaces designed for retail, data storage, and protection from warfare and climate disaster. Drawing on the CCA Collection, the fellows explored histories of design reform in the American Midwest, disaster management in Japan, and resource politics in the former German Democratic Republic.

The final year focused on the “between,” exploring how light shapes and is shaped by the built environment in the space between atmosphere and land. The theme encompassed air pollution associated with carbon combustion, industrial production, and forest fires, alongside practices aimed at mitigating its effects. The program considered the sun as an energy resource, a source of life-threatening heat, and a force shaping the planet’s ecological and climatic conditions.

Daniel Barber
Head of School of Architecture, University of Technology Sydney

Giovanna Borasi
Director, Canadian Centre for Architecture

Gökçe Günel
Associate Professor, Rice University

Jungyoon Kim
PARKKIM / Assistant Professor, Harvard Graduate School of Design

Rafico Ruiz
Associate Director, Research, Canadian Centre for Architecture

Masatake Shinohara
Program-Specific Associate Professor, Graduate School of Advanced Integrated Studies in Human Survivability, Kyoto University

Yoshiharu Tsukamoto
Atelier Bow-Wow / Professor, Tokyo Institute of Technology

Read more about the CCA-WRI Research Fellowship Program and its current cycle here.