Role: Alumni

Isabella is currently working towards her bachelor’s degree at the University of Waterloo School of Architecture. She often designs through making, gravitating towards physical materiality, light, and volume studies in her own projects. At the studio, Isabella’s role focuses on conceptual design and production, encompassing a variety of tasks ranging from small-scale component design and fabrication to large-scale organization of installations. Projects during her term include a 3-stage testbed installation at TU Delft in the Netherlands, and the 2022 Shadows and Whispers workshop at the Domaine de Boisbuchet. Prior to the LASG, Isabella worked in both architecture and website design at Toronto and Vancouver-based firms.

Simon Gorbet works as an engineer/industrial design co-op student primarily on the design of actuated devices in PBSI sculptures. Simon developed the Blade of Grass vibration actuator from conception through prototyping to its very first production run, completing the industrial, mechanical, and electrical design for the actuator. Additionally, Simon worked on the August 2022 Shadows and Whispers workshop, which was delivered to 15 design professionals at the Domaine de Boisbuchet in southern France. He focused on kit design, electrical planning, and workshop content. On site, he led sessions, helped troubleshoot, and solved mechanical and electrical problems. Simon is currently studying to receive his BASc in mechatronics engineering at the University of Waterloo.

Nicolas Désilles works at the studio as a MITACS Globalink Intern, conducting multidisciplinary design and digital fabriction tasks and research for ongoing studio projects. His work exists at the intersection of multiple fields such as architecture, industrial design, material science, mechanical engineering, laser cutting processes, FDM and SLA 3D printing processes, and electronics design. Nicolas is a Civil Engineering and Architecture double-degree student at the National Institute of Applied Science of Lyon (France) and the National Graduate School of Architeture in Lyon (ENSA Lyon). He is graduating in engineering next year and will continue his studies with a Master of Architecture, specializing in computational architecture and interactive installations.

Rekha Ramachandran manages development, research and administration at the LASG. She oversees grant applications, project leads and proposals, LASG partner relations, and administrative affairs. Rekha holds a Master of Arts in Communication and Culture from the joint program at York and Toronto Metropolitan Universities, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Toronto Metropolitan University. Her previous roles include office manager at the interdisciplinary design firm Johnson Chou, and communications assistant at the Manitoba Arts Council. Rekha is a visual artist and co-owns the vintage shop Softhouse, in Toronto.

Alison Thompson oversees the general operations at the LASG. She handles financial matters, partner and studentship relations, and administrative affairs. Prior to joining the LASG team, Alison worked as a legal assistant at a boutique law firm in Guelph. Alison holds a BA (Hons) with a Major in English and Minor in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph. She is currently pursuing a certificate in Publishing from Toronto Metropolitan University and is passionate about keeping the arts thriving.

Dima Ghazal is a Production Assistant at the LASG where she is engaged in the fabrication and assembly of sculptural installation components. She has contributed to the production of Meander at Tapestry Hall, Cambridge, Threshold at San Jose Airport, and Ocean at Nuit Blanche Toronto. Dima holds a Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Design and Urban Studies from the University of Toronto. She has participated in multiple design-build projects across Canada and is interested in exploring digital craftsmanship and fabrication of temporary structures.

Filipe Costa leads and orients the production and assembly of sculptural components for installations at the LASG Studio. He has made contributions to Meander at Tapestry Hall, Cambridge and Threshold at San Jose Airport as well as being a core designer and fabricator for the Geometry Kit: Archimedean Polyhedra folio. Filipe is currently pursuing a M.Arch at Carleton University and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies with a Minor in Visual Studies from the University of Toronto. As a designer, Filipe is interested in researching structures built by animals (animal architecture) for the design of unconventional spaces and building forms.

Nathan Shakura designs systems components and manages production at the LASG studio. Nathan is currently completing a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Design at OCAD University. As a designer, he is interested in small scale woodworking and wood construction, and design as a tool for social change.

Ellie Hayden is the Operations Director at the LASG, steering and overseeing grant applications, project leads, LASG partner and studentship relations, and administrative affairs. Before joining the LASG team, Ellie worked for three of Toronto’s Business Improvement Areas where she liaised with local business owners and city officials to orchestrate a series of community-based public art and streetscaping projects. Ellie’s academic background is in Civil Engineering and Sustainable Development, though her passion lies in community engagement with public space. She holds a BASc in Integrated Social Science and Engineering from Lehigh University, and hopes to pursue a Masters degree in Landscape Architecture in the future.

In his past work with the LASG, Nathanael worked mainly on the industrial design of sculpture components as well as their manufacturing. A main area of focus was updating LED light housings and developing robust heat sinking to extend their lifespans. He also worked on redesigning existing stainless steel cutting patterns of sculptural components for use in permanent installations. In particular, Nathanael developed new forming tools which expedited production.

Nathanael completed his Masters of Architecture at the University of Waterloo in 2021, undertaking thesis research that explored how people interact with the things around them and how we can better teach repair, maintenance, and troubleshooting skills, as well as design items that defy planned obsolescence. Through taking things apart, making tools, and unifying both of those activities to make ‘good stuff’, he lays out how we can change modern material culture for the better.

Thesis: Let’s Make Good Stuff: Combatting planned obsolescence and junk by relearning repair, maintenance, and personal agency over the things around us