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About C.A.S.T.

Photo: Dylan Hewlett

The Centre for Architectural Structures and Technology (C.A.S.T.) is an interdisciplinary research laboratory embracing technical and poetic dimensions of making. C.A.S.T. provides unique conditions for critical and creative experimentation with technologies germane to the design, construction and performance of the built environment. The generous and well-equipped C.A.S.T. facility enables research at diverse scales and with a variety of media, methods and tools. Researchers at C.A.S.T. explore materials and assemblies; experiment with building techniques and construction methods; devise and test prototypes; study the limits and potential of natural laws; investigate sustainable practices; cultivate Indigenous modes of making; and collaborate in the rigorous play of imagination. C.A.S.T. supports both discipline-specific and cross-disciplinary research that advances knowledge, promotes creativity, and supports innovation in teaching. C.A.S.T. seeks to promote research benefiting students, researchers, industry, the public and our planet.

The C.A.S.T. facility is unique in Canada, having been specifically designed to support a vision of architectural education and research grounded in shared acts of making. C.A.S.T. also participates in an expanding constellation of world-class research facilities within and beyond the University of Manitoba.

C.A.S.T. offers a 500m2 (5,500ft2) facility well equipped for work in any standard—and many non-standard—fabrication materials and methods, including concrete, masonry, carpentry, fabric/textiles and earthworks. The building is centrally located on the University of Manitoba’s Fort Garry campus. It is situated between the Faculties of Architecture and Engineering, and is close to the sculpture and ceramic studios of the School of Fine Arts.

The C.A.S.T. Building was designed and constructed with nearly $1.5 million in support from the following: the Canada Foundation for Innovation; the Manitoba Innovations Fund; Western Economic Diversification Canada; and over one hundred companies, organizations, and individuals in the local and regional construction industry. The C.A.S.T. building was featured in Canadian Architect (Feb. 2003)