The prize, established by the Canada Council for the Arts in 1987, allows recipients to travel to other parts of the world to hone their skills, develop their creative practice and strengthen their presence in international architecture culture.

White, along with partner Lola Sheppard, received the prize for a research proposal entitled Emergent North. The pair will use the funds to travel to the Arctic to continue an ongoing investigation and documentation of cold-climate settlement forms, issues and vernacular innovations in the circumpolar region.

“We are pretty humbled to receive this prize. From what we understand it is the first time that a candidate has proposed to travel exclusively in Canada,” said White, noting that the Prix de Rome is typically awarded for research focused on Europe, specifically Rome.

White and Sheppard will travel two different routes. The first, this fall, will take them through the Tundra ecosystem to such places as Iqaluit and Rankin Inlet in Nunavut. The second trip is scheduled for early spring and will take them through the Taiga ecosystem, where stops will include, Tuktoyaktuk, the Northwest Territories and Anchorage, Alaska.

During their travels they will gather first-hand knowledge and documentation of Far Northern settlements through a series of outreach activities such as workshops and design exchanges. his research will inform a series of ongoing design projects responding to social, political, economic and ecological issues confronting the far north. “It’s about a deeper understanding of context, in terms of culture, climate and region,” said White.

White has already enlisted some of his graduate students to do research in preparation for this fall’s trip. He will also teach a graduate level architecture and landscape studio course tentatively called Polar Projective. The course will look at projecting a polar future that can address the challenges and opportunities of both climate change and the culture of this unique geography.

“The issues they address remained outside of the architectural imagination for too long; their decision to focus on research and share their findings will make it possible for a broad community of actors to engage in the search for appropriate solutions,” said the jury.

This article was originally published at www.news.utoronto.ca.

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