I' working hard for the last week before thesis is due. I am pretty much on time although things take much longer than expected. Hopefully I schedule my time with margins, so if shit happens, I'm not in trouble.

Of all the schools I applied to for next year, I only got into Univeristy of Toronto and Illinois Tech, which isn't bad. I'm on waiting list at Sci-Arc and Arizona State University and University of British Columbia refused my application. I decided for Chicago, because UofT didn't offer any advanced standing, whereas IIT did, so the choice was quick (UofT was my backup anyway). So I'll be in Chicago next year. If some people from there read, it'd be nice talking about the school and the program.

I am currently rendering all my plans for thesis, you'll find following my Master Plan, which will give you an idea of the project.

Here is a summary (pretty raw draft) I started yesterday to summarize the project. It's definitely not a final version.

Ecosystems in the city: Stitching the Natural and the Artificial together.

This project is a waterfront park situated in Toronto's east end. It is programmatically a promotional and experimental tool aimed at finding new ways to re-introduce natural ecosystems in the urban environment, making people aware of all the natural species that thrive in a city's setting. Set a Lakeshore and Parliament, these easily accessible industrial brownlands are an ideal setting for developping sustainable strategies in Toronto. Formerly a malting plant, this large left-over site with a cluster of silos still standing in its middle, provides with a lot of opportunities for bringing natural elements onto the lake shore, that has been missing in action in recent Toronto urban developments.



For all those who are in the midst of crunch time, I wish you good luck. I also have thoughts for those enduring this terrible drama down in Virginia Tech.
On another sad note, a friend of mine saw his house burning down yesterday in Toronto, at Spadina and Baldwin for those who know the area. Tough times for some of us.