REBECCA WEI
Gow Hastings Architects
SAY IT LOUD - Toronto
Toronto Based Designer
Who or what inspires you professionally?
Nothing beats hearing people who use a space rave about it and show it off! It’s heart-warming and exhilarating. I’ve seen kids' minds blown when they see their new school. That pure reaction, their unfiltered joy, is what inspires my work.
REBECCA WEI
Bio:
Rebecca is an Associate and Sustainability Lead at Gow Hastings Architects in Toronto. Her work focuses on educational and community spaces across Ontario, where she brings complex needs together through thoughtful, resilient, and sustainable design. Her projects include the 50,000 square foot Université de l’Ontario français campus and Centennial College’s 150,000-square-foot mass timber expansion, where she served as Compliance Architect.
How did you first learn about architecture and when did you decide that built environment profession was an area of interest for you?
I was first intrigued by my uncle's old wood models at my grandmother's home. Ultimately, I chose to pursue architecture based on my interest in people and places‚ and making things. It was a bit of a leap of faith.
What do you do?
As a school design specialist, I focus on creating happy and healthy learning environments. My day-to-day involves strategy work, project oversight, team management, and design guidance to deliver inspiring, sustainable, highly functional spaces.
What excites you in the work you do?
I thrive on the creative friction of conflicting priorities. School design is often a web of complex sites, tight budgets and heavy user needs to untangle; but uniting a team to resolve those challenges for clients and communities is exciting.
Who or what inspires you professionally?
Nothing beats hearing people who use a space rave about it and show it off! It’s heart-warming and exhilarating. I’ve seen kids' minds blown when they see their new school. That pure reaction, their unfiltered joy, is what inspires my work.
What is your proudest professional accomplishment or achievement?
Delivering UOF’s inaugural campus during the pandemic. Moving a newly formed university into an urban podium, from a day-one lockdown interview to completion for the school term start, navigating those unprecedented waters was my greatest feat.
Featured Project Name:
Université de l’Ontario français Campus
Featured Project Location:
Toronto, ON
Featured Project Completion Date:
2021
Role in Featured Project:
Project Architect
Featured Project Description:
The Université de l’Ontario français is Ontario’s first stand-alone French language university. Located in downtown Toronto’s East Bayfront, the 50,000 sf inaugural campus fits within a high-rise podium, expressing an urban vision for postsecondary education. Third spaces were a vital design element, prioritizing informal collaboration areas outside the classroom to spark student-faculty interaction. The campus centralizes amenities into a vibrant, one-stop hub for students and staff.
