JURY COMMENT:
We chose Kurtis Chen as this year’s recipient as his career is a testament to the transformative power of leadership rooted in advocacy, sustainability, and community. From his early days as a cinematographer to his current work at the intersection of architecture, storytelling, and social justice, Kurtis has consistently leveraged his unique perspective to make architecture more accessible, inclusive, and impactful.
Kurtis has been a passionate advocate for climate literacy within the profession. He co-leads the Toronto Society of Architects’ technical lecture series on sustainability and is currently co-authoring a Climate Action Design Guide for Multi-Unit Residential Buildings. This guide, developed in collaboration with Professor Ted Kesik at the University of Toronto, the TSA, and the Toronto Atmospheric Fund, is designed to help architects integrate affordable carbon reduction strategies into mid-rise housing—making sustainable design both practical and accessible.
Kurtis’s leadership extends deeply into community engagement. As the first student elected to the TSA’s executive board, he spearheaded the organization’s first participation in Toronto’s Pride celebrations, leading to one of the city’s most expansive public research projects on 2SLGBTQ+ spaces. His work has ensured that historically erased spaces and narratives are brought into architectural discourse, fostering a more inclusive profession.
Through his roles with the Ontario Association of Architects and as President of the Graduate Architecture Landscape and Design Student Union at UofT, Kurtis has championed public education, accessibility, and student advocacy. His storytelling—whether through research, writing, or film—has reached broad audiences, including a video on mass timber construction that garnered over 1.3 million viewers.