Faculty of Architecture

Centre for Architectural Structures & Technology

The Centre for Architectural Structures and Technology (C.A.S.T.) is an interdisciplinary research laboratory that provides unique conditions for critical and creative experimentation with technologies relevant to the design, construction and performance of the built environment.

plaster molds hanging from the ceiling in front of a window

About C.A.S.T.

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; devise and test prototypes; study the limits and potential of natural laws; investigate sustainable practices and environmental stewardship; 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. laboratory 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 welding, concrete, masonry, carpentry, 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.

Education

The Centre for Architectural Structures and Technology (C.A.S.T.) is dedicated to the exploration of architectural possibilities through making, experimentation, invention and discovery.

The C.A.S.T. Building on the University of Manitoba campus, has been specially designed and built to facilitate and sustain this approach to education and research. It is located between the faculties of Architecture, Civil Engineering, and Biosystems Engineering, and is also close to the sculpture, ceramic, and painting studios of the School of Fine Arts. The C.A.S.T. also hosts musical performances from visiting artists as well as students of the University of Manitoba’s School of Music.

Teaching technology

The Centre for Architectural Structures and Technology (C.A.S.T.) institutes a new approach to teaching building technology where the study of design, building technology, materials, and construction are approached with a spirit of exploration. Physical and intellectual knowledge are joined here in hands-on experiment, constructions, and studies.

The design of the C.A.S.T. laboratory itself serves as a “living textbook” of technical knowledge; the building’s structural, electrical, and mechanical systems are all completely visible, facilitating on-site lectures and analysis projects, making it a three-dimensional resource for teaching building technology to both architecture and engineering students alike. Our goal is to augment conventional text book-based information with direct physical knowledge that our students can touch, see, experience and remember.

people standing together talking
Students sitting around a table talking

Research

The Centre for Architectural Structures and Technology (C.A.S.T.) does not offer a specific program of study. C.A.S.T. is a resource of the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Architecture, and most students working at C.A.S.T. are enrolled in one of the Departments within the Faculty. A few students doing work with us have been enrolled in the University of Manitoba’s Price Faculty of Engineering, while others have worked here as visitors from other universities. Work and study at C.A.S.T. is done either through workshop classes offered by the Faculty of Architecture, research thesis projects in the Department of Architecture, or by special research teams engaged in specific projects. Funding is sometimes available for graduate research assistants enrolled in the University of Manitoba’s Department of Architecture. Occasionally, when the opportunity arises, the Laboratory will host a C.A.S.T. Visiting Researcher as well.

Research in Residence Program

The Research in Residence Program at C.A.S.T. is awarded to individuals coming to the Faculty of Architecture to pursue their own independent focused research. Appointments are made for a minimum of one semester to a maximum of one year.

The main focus of the Researcher in Residence program is to facilitate and promote new explorations in materials and assemblies; experiments with building techniques; 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.

C.A.S.T. supports both discipline-specific and cross-disciplinary research that advances knowledge, promotes creativity, and support innovation in teaching. C.A.S.T. seeks to promote research benefiting students, researchers, industry, the public and our planet.

Open call for industry-sponsored researcher-in-residence program

OPEN CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR THE C.A.S.T. INDUSTRY-SPONSORED RESEARCHER-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM 

FALL 2023 or WINTER 2024

SUBMISSION DEADLINE:  May 30th, 2023
 
Academic and industry researchers from around the world are invited to submit proposals to participate in the upcoming Research in Residence program at The Centre for Architectural Structures and Technology (C.A.S.T.) in the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Manitoba.
The specific appointment invites researchers, practitioners, and industry professionals whose interests align (directly or tangentially) with areas of innovative masonry construction techniques and technologies. Strong preference will be given to candidates whose research proposals clearly define how their work responds to our ever-present and urgent environmental crisis.

The position is a 4-month appointment* in the Faculty of Architecture, beginning in either September 2023 and extending to the end of December (FALL) or in January 2024 and extending to the end of April. (Winter)
The appointment allows for the Researcher in Residence to offer public lectures, and participatory workshops (open to all students and faculty alike) and have full access to the facilities and workspaces at C.A.S.T., our FabLab, woodworking and metalworking shops.
The candidate would also have the opportunity to showcase their work at Faculty’s Exhibitions and publications.
Exposing their research work to many local industry professionals, faculties and the general public.

* Duration of appointment may vary depending on the background, affiliation and circumstances of the applicant.  

FUNDING

While it is expected that applicants come with financial support of their own, it should be noted that this appointment will be generously funded by The Manitoba Masonry Institute (MMI) and a stipend of $7,500.00 will be offered to successful applicants.
 
Successful candidates may also benefit from short-term teaching appointments in the faculty based on the circumstances at the time. This may be negotiated upon offer.
 
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION

Proposals must be electronically submitted in PDF format to the C.A.S.T. coordinator at Liane.Veness@umanitoba  no later than midnight on May 15th, 2023.
 
PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

All applicants must submit.
A resume or curriculum vitae 
A research statement and proposal outlining the applicant’s research expertise and proposed research project to be carried out at C.A.S.T. – May include images. (Maximum 5 pages)
Brief description of (proposed) workshop
 
SELECTION PROCESS

Candidates will be reviewed and shortlisted by the C.A.S.T. Committee. Once selected applicants will be contacted and notified of the committee's decision.
Non-Canadian residents may be required to obtain a visa. Once accepted as the Research in Residence, visa information will be provided.

Open call for proposals

INTERESTED IN WORKING IN CAST?

CAST RESEARCHER IN RESIDENCE PROGRAM 
Open for both FALL and WINTER TERMS
 
Academic and industry researchers from around the world are invited to submit proposals to our Research in Residence program at The Centre for Architectural Structures and Technology (C.A.S.T.) in the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Manitoba. The appointment invites researchers to apply whose interests explore materials and assemblies; experiment with building techniques and construction methods; study the limits and potential of natural laws; investigate sustainable practices; cultivate Indigenous modes of making; and collaborate in the rigorous play of imagination. Strong preference will be given to candidates whose research proposals clearly define how their work responds to our ever-present and urgent environmental crisis.

This flexible research position can extend anywhere between 2 weeks to a 4-month appointment* in the Faculty of Architecture, taking place in either the Fall semester (September-December)  or the Winter semester (January – April) 

The appointment allows for the Researcher in Residence to offer public lectures, participatory workshops (open to all students and faculty alike), and have full access to the facilities and work spaces at C.A.S.T., our FabLab, woodworking and metalworking shops.

The candidate would also have the opportunity to showcase their work at Faculty’s Exhibitions and publications, exposing their research work to many local industry professionals, faculties and the general public.

* Duration of appointment may vary depending on the background, affiliation and circumstances of the applicant.  

SUBMISSIONS

Expression of Interests and/or proposals can be sent to the C.A.S.T. coordinator at liane.veness@umantoba.ca .
Please contact the C.A.S.T. coordinator at least 6 months prior the preferred start of the appointment to allow adequate time for coordination of travel visas (if required) and potential funding opportunities.


FUNDING

While it is expected that applicants come with financial support of their own, it should be noted that the C.A.S.T. coordinator may be able to assist in securing additional funding if needed.

Successful candidates may also benefit from short-term teaching appointments in the faculty based on the circumstances at the time. This may be negotiated upon offer.
 
SELECTION PROCESS

Candidates will be reviewed and shortlisted by the C.A.S.T. Committee. Once selected applicants will be contacted and notified of the committee decision. Non-Canadian residents may be required to obtain a visa. Once accepted as the Research in Residence, visa information will be provided.

For more information about the C.A.S.T. facility and research please visit 
http://umanitoba.ca/cast_building/

Research projects

Researching Fabric Molecular Block
Myung Duk Chung

of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.

Non-Funicular Masonry
Emanual Jannesch

Inklings that the received theory of domical structures was incomplete date back to Jannasch’s student days, and thought-experiments over the years seemed to confirm this suspicion. But his first physical demonstration and exploration of non-funicular domes did not take place until July of 2014, working with twelve students at Dalhousie University over an intensive two-week course. The results were presented at the 2016 International Conference of Structures and Architecture in Guimarães, Portugal, and published in the proceedings. An article in the Nexus Network Journal on Mathematics in Architecture came out in December; this began to place the technical aspects into historical and critical context. Some minor advances were made by two Dalhousie students in the fall of 2016 as part of a graduate elective in structural design. Jannasch had been invited by David Bowick of Blackwell Engineering to present my investigations to his colleagues, which he was able to do on his way to Manitoba in January 2017.

Learn more about Non-Furnicular Masonry

Ice Bloom
Lancelot Coar

Ice Bloom is a collaboration between Lancelot Coar (University of Manitoba), Michael Cox and Dr. Sigrid Adriaenssens (Princeton University), Dr. Lars De Laet (Vrije Universiteit Brussles), and Mark West, carried out at the Centre for Architectural Structures and Technology (C.A.S.T.) at the University of Manitoba. The project explores the ability of bending active structures, made in this case by fiberglass rebar, to produce an efficient structural frame for a fabric formed ice shell. The organizing pattern of the bars are guided by the principle stress lines of the structure, which help to shape the fabric formed ice shell in relation to those optimal stresses. The aim of this project is to expand a tectonic and methodological approach to developing structurally efficient, formally unique and buildable bending active frames and shell structures by working directly with force flow and material behaviour.

Learn more about Ice Bloom

Fabrigami
Lancelot Coar

Fabrigami is a project that seeks to exploit both the methods of origami forming, as well as the structural performance of origami geometries to create a folded fabric ice shell. This was achieved through the use of flexible and pliable construction materials (fabric and water) that was then rigidified (frozen) to arrive at the resulting form. Ice bloom was the official Warming Hut representing the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Manitoba at the Warming Hut Exhibition held at the Forks in Winnipeg.  The project resulted in a free-standing fabric formed ice shell (0.6 - 3 cm thick) that supported 2,195 kg. of dead load, spanning 11.5m x 6.6m x 3.2m.

Learn more about Fabrigami

Cocoon
Lancelot Coar

Each year the frozen Red and Assiniboine Rivers in Winnipeg are host to the longest natural river trail in the world (8km). And on this trail, there is an international competition for the production of “Warming Huts” for the visiting ice skating tourists to engage with. In 2011 I led the first invited entry for the University of Manitoba for this project.

Focusing on the opportunities of the extreme climate, I sought to test the ability of my previous research of fiberglass to act a skeletal form work for a structural skin made from ice. Because the loads generated by the ice and wind of the site were significant, I collaborated with the department of Civil Engineering, to test the ultimate strength of the material in the design geometries I was proposing, and Z3rch Structural Engineers (Berlin) who modeled the behavior of the structure using a high-dynamic range modeling software.

Learn more about Cocoon

Curtain Wall
Lancelot Coar

This project provided an opportunity to explore the potential of ice to model the analogous liquid-to-solid material, concrete, at a full-scale without the challenges of mass and permanence. A simple folded serpentine form was chosen at the base which acted to generate a stable base, and a single linear path was arranged at the top using wooden scaffolding and pulley points along the supported beam. The self-forming physical parametric behavior of the fabric resolved the difference between these two forms and created a strong shell of complex curves. Water was applied in frozen layers to a thickness of 3mm-8mm.

Learn more about Curtain Wall

Carbuncle | Warming Hut Build 2017
ED3 Architecture

(Extracted from Warming Huts website)
 Carbuncle is a proposal for the 2017 edition of the Warming Huts Festival, at the Forks, in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Four architecture studios, including 40 students from the Environmental Design and the Architecture Preparation programs, formed a team with their respective foundation instructors: Eduardo Aquino, Chad Connery, Terri Fuglem, and Liane Veness. Typically, the Warming Huts Festival proposals have explored an impressive array of imaginative possibilities, without, however, producing what essentially 
the festival proposes: a hut that is actually warm. The starting point was to conceive a truly warm hut, inspired by a sauna structure, a typology coherent with the Northern climates and Northern cultures. The inquiry explored technologic sustainable ways to advance an effective system to survive the cold weather of the frozen surface of a river of the harsh Northern winter.

Learn more about Carbuncle

Rainbow Gardens
M1 Studio

Rainbow gardens community design build project was an Independent Study course which presented an opportunity for students to work collaboratively on an intensive four-week participatory design/build studio. This course was centered around a participatory build and site installation of five independent small scale shade structures designed for a local Community Gardens, run by a not for profit Immigrant Integration & Farming Community Co-operative.  The structures included a shelter for community event gathering, passive water catchment and retention systems, tool shed, a summer kitchen, a public compost toilet and remote structures to provide shaded rest areas, tool storage and water catchment within the gardens. Altogether, the students participated in the coordination, preparation and installation of the concrete foundation work, design and construction of the steel and wood frame structures and all site and prep work. Construction of the structure took place in C.A.S.T, using the facility in the first stage of the course, and was assembled in the later half on site.

Learn more about Rainbow Gardens

models of molecular block
circular model
ice bloom at the forks
people working inside a white structure
People outside building Coccon
Curtina Wall in the courtyard
Carbuncle warming hut on the Red River
Rainbow Gardens project outside

Facilities

C.A.S.T. supports both long-term (4 months) and short term (2 weeks or less) research and teaching endeavours. All research and teaching activities must be organized by the C.A.S.T. coordinator prior to commencement of work. Please send inquiries to C.A.S.T. coordinator, Liane Veness.

The C.A.S.T. Building has been specifically designed to support full-scale speculative experiments on new design possibilities using a wide range of materials and building technologies. In particular, C.A.S.T. encourages collaborative, project-based experiments and projects involving architects, engineers, and industry. The design of the building also supports the teaching of building technology through its structural, mechanical, and electrical systems, which are all left exposed as a three-dimensional “textbook”. A wide range of tools and equipment allows small-scale physical models to be constructed as full-scale proof-of-concept prototypes in our laboratory space. Our association with industry allows us to develop and test new construction and design ideas in industrial settings.

The C.A.S.T. Building itself provides architecture and engineering students with other venues for full-scale design and construction experiments. For example, the C.A.S.T. Building’s masonry cavity walls are built with ten special openings, specifically designed to receive experimental infill designs. Here students can affect the architectural design of the building itself, while studying important building envelop detailing and design issues.

Building floor plans

Equipment

Structural testing
45 m2 (490 ft2) strong floor, with 50 Mpa (110,000 lb.) MTS hydraulic actuator. This equipment is used in conducting structural tests of students’ designs. It is supplemented by the nearby Department of Civil Engineering WR McQuade Structures Lab.

Fabrication shops

  • Floor tools and hand tools for fabricating prototypes and models include:
  • Metal Cutting and soldering;
  • Textile cutting and sewing equipment;
  • Concrete mixing and placement equipment;
  • Air-drive and electric wood working tools at C.A.S.T. are further supplemented by the Faculty of Architecture’s Workshop facilities next door in the John A. Russell Building.

FABLab

  • CNC router
  • Laser cutters
  • 3D printing and scanning,
  • Vacuum former
  • Six workstations dedicated to digital modelling software

Studio space

  • 800 ft2 mezzanine level for collaborative and individual design work.

Computing
The C.A.S.T. Building is equipped with dedicated computers for graphics and structural engineering, and a fiber optic connection to the Faculty of Architecture and University of Manitoba computer networks.

Sound system
C.A.S.T. has its own sound system – music is the universal solvent.

Construction of C.A.S.T.

The C.A.S.T. Building is the first building constructed for the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Architecture since 1959. It marks a new beginning in architectural education and research. There is no other architectural laboratory quite like it.

The project began in 1989 with a grant from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) in support of Prof. Mark West’s research with flexible fabric formworks for concrete structures. This grant provided a total of  $350,000 (CN) to buy tools and equipment, and to construct a modest prefabricated metal building. The construction budget in this original grant consisted of $70,000 (CN) in in-kind donations from Winnipeg area construction companies, and $87,000 (CN) in cash. The C.A.S.T. Laboratory as it stands today is now worth nearly $1.5 million (CN).

The realization of C.A.S.T. is the result of three primary forces:

First, was the desire on the part of the Faculty of Architecture and the Director of C.A.S.T. to transform this erstwhile fabric formwork laboratory into a more inclusive and ambitious architectural research laboratory. The vision for a new kind of architectural education called for a facility that could support and sustain that vision.

Second, the Faculty of Architecture made a commitment to construct something more than a utilitarian structure; it was strongly felt that the building should be a work of architecture.

Third, the C.A.S.T. Building project received extraordinary support from the Canadian construction industry and from Provincial and Federal levels of government. Early support from a small number of companies and industry associations including the Canadian Masonry Research Institute, The Canadian Sheet Steel Building Institute, Mr. Maurice Steele, MD Steele Construction, and other local contractors and suppliers, allowed us to launch an ambitious program of construction, simultaneously accompanied by fundraising efforts to meet the financial demands of the project. Eventually over 100 companies, industry associations, government agencies, and individuals contributed to this project.

Contributors

The following organizations, companies, and individuals contributed their time, money, and expertise to the design and construction of the C.A.S.T. Laboratory Building. Their support has made this project possible.

Government
Canada Foundation for Innovation
Western Economic Diversification Canada
Manitoba Innovation Fund

Industry Associations
American Concrete Institute
Canadian Institute of Steel Construction
Canadian PreC.A.S.T/Prestressed Concrete Institute-Manitoba Chapter
Canadian Sheet Steel Building Institute
International Union of Bricklayers & Allied Craftsworkers (Manitoba Local #1)
Manitoba Masonry Contractor’s Association Inc.
Manitoba Ready-Mix Concrete Association
National Air Barrier Association
The Canadian Masonry Research Institute

Design Team
Herbert Enns, Architect
GBR Architects Limited                       
Crosier Kilgour & Partners Ltd.
SMS Engineering Ltd.
MCW/AGE Consulting Professional Engineers
UMA Engineering Ltd.

Private Donors
Acres Manitoba Limited
A & R Concrete Pumping Ltd.
A M Masonry Ltd.
Alf Blerot Masonry Ltd.
Allmar Distributors Ltd.
Alpha Masonry Ltd.
Alumicor Ltd.
B & F Masonry (1992) Ltd.
Battlefield Equipment Rentals
Behlen Industries
Bird Construction Co.
Mr. Patrick Randal Black
Bockstael Construction (1979) Ltd.
Brock White Canada
Building Products & Concrete Supply Ltd.
Building Professional Consortium
C arlson Decorating and Sandblasting Company Ltd.
CCI Industries Ltd.-Tallcrete
CCI Tallcrete
Cindercrete Products Ltd.
Clima Seal
CML Northern Blower Inc.
Comstock Canada Ltd.
Con-Force Structures Ltd.
Copper Sales Inc.
Corus Metal Profiles: Division of Corus CIC Inc.
Cowin Steel Co. Ltd.
Cox Constuction
Dofasco Inc.
Dominion Construction Company Inc.
Dow Building Materials
Durwest Construction Systems
Dustrial Plastics & Steel Ltd.
E H Price Ltd.
E K Construction 2000 Ltd.
Euro-Can Enterprises Ltd.
Eutectic Canada Inc.
Falcon Machinery (1965) Ltd.
Favorite Transport Ltd.
FWS Construction Ltd.
G D Johnson Construction Materials
Gebhardt Masonry Ltd.
Gillis Quarries Ltd.
Greensteel Industries Ltd.
Inland Aggregates Ltd.
I-XL Brick Supplies Ltd.
I-XL Industries Ltd.
Kraft Construction Company Ltd.
Kurt Bauer Contractors Ltd.
LaFarge Canada Inc.-Cement Division
LaFarge Canada Inc.-Construction Materials Division
Lluma Sales & Rentals Ltd.
M D Steele Construction Ltd.
M G I Canada Inc.
M R B Masonry Ltd.
Man-Shield Construction Inc.
Maple Leaf Construction Ltd.
McCaine Electric Ltd.
P C L Constructors Canada Inc.
P M L Reinforcing Ltd.
P P G Industries Inc.
Plasti-Fab Division of PFP Corporation
Quality Glass Installations
Reimer Soils
Retro-Specs Consultants Ltd.
RHI Canada Ltd.
Robertson Building Systems
Roma Masonry Ltd.
Scott Screen and Wire Co. Ltd.
Shopost Iron Works (1989) Ltd.
Soprema Canada
Specialty Construction Products Ltd.
Star Building Materials
Steel-Craft Door Products Ltd.
Mid-Canada Reinforcing Inc.
Mr. Maurice D. Steele
Steelway Building Systems
Stelco Inc.
Subterranean (Manitoba) Ltd.
Supra Steel Construction Services Ltd.
Tatra Ornamental Iron Works Ltd.
The Bilco Company
 The National Testing Laboratories Limited
Tri-Star Masonry Contractors Ltd.
Tri-Tec Drywall Services Ltd.
United Rentals
York International Corporation, Sales & Service

Contact Us

Centre for Architectural Structures and Technology (C.A.S.T.)
91 Dafoe Road
Faculty of Architecture
University of Manitoba
(Fort Garry Campus)
Winnipeg, MB R3T 2M6

Liane.Veness@umanitoba.ca