Entitled “synanthropic suburbia”, the project explores potential architectural habitats for wildlife of various kinds that live near and benefit from human habitation – thus the use of the term synanthropic, meaning living in symbiotic relation with human beings. Based on a meticulous analysis of suburban neighborhoods in the province of Ontario and the city of Markham in particular, the project’s author proposes a set of small interventions for animal residents normally neglected in any design or planning process – in this case, raccoons, chimney swifts, tree swallows, blue birds, barn owls, and brown bats, all native species to the region.

Bewildering aspects of the thesis notwithstanding, the jury appreciated the design of so-called “ecological prosthetics” to be installed as micro-additions and habitats for animal users to houses across residential neighborhoods. Taking their cues from the iconography and type forms of existing houses, the interventions expand upon conventional building components to create entirely new architectural vocabularies. The “compost chimney”, “extended eave”, and “habitat dormer”, for example, provide living opportunities for wildlife and enhance the neighborhood’s ecosystem. The design promotes a discourse on the relation between human activity and the environment, offering strategies for understanding architecture in symbiotic rapport with nature, without succumbing to romantic notions of the “natural”.