New architecture faculty member challenges students to see beyond a building’s walls

An architect and educator, Amanda Reis wants to inspire students in RIT’s master of architecture (M.Arch.) program to practice architecture in a way that is interdisciplinary and community-oriented.

“Without art, it’s engineering. Without engineering, it’s sculpture,” Reis says to describe why architecture is well-suited to students who are both creative and technical. She joined RIT’s department of architecture within the Golisano Institute for Sustainability (GIS) as an assistant professor in the fall semester of 2024.

Hailing from Winnipeg, Canada, Reis earned a bachelor of environmental design (B.Env.D.) and a master of architecture (M.Arch.) from the University of Manitoba. She is a registered member of the Manitoba Association of Architects and the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, and has practiced with several Canadian firms. Most recently, she was an architect with 5468796 Architecture Inc., an award-winning office in Winnipeg with residential and commercial projects across Canada.

Reis was also an instructor in the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Architecture. She taught many undergraduate- and graduate-level courses, including hands-on design studios, interdisciplinary classes like experimental farming design, and community-oriented modules for the Winnipeg Warming Huts competition and Main Street Project nonprofit organization.

“There’s so much to know: engineering, design, art, building envelope, and people skills,” she noted on what those fundamentals include. “I try to teach architecture as a lifelong practice—you should never stop being curious as an architect.”

Reis recently facilitated first and second year students in RIT’s M.Arch. program—offered both in person and online—in completing studio projects for the 2024 fall semester. After conducting site analyses of a busy suburban intersection, they proposed design solutions to make the area more pedestrian-friendly by reducing vehicle traffic and increasing public walkways and amenities. Then the students designed a new main street and all-season public market for the same locale in the next phase of the project.

An architectural rendering of a pedestrian shopping area at ground level
Students in RIT's master of architecture (M.Arch.) program were tasked with making an area with heavy car traffic more pedestrian-centered. 

“I’ve always been curious about architecture and the identity of specific places,” Reis explained.

Reis’s own architectural and design projects often center on social justice and community-building. One project, Hope Alley, was designed to bring joy to a street corner occupied by people experiencing homelessness in Winnipeg by “adding a sense of identity, dignity, and comfort to the site.” Welcoming phrases in Ojibwe and Cree are laser-cut into seating along the perimeter in addition to English and French—Winnipeg is home to more indigenous people than any other Canadian city.

Hope Alley, an architectural project by Amanda Reis of RIT's architecture department
Hope Alley is one of Reis's projects in Winnipeg (Canada). 

“Pavilions are a great way for students to learn by doing while also contributing something meaningful to a community,” Reis said to explain why she includes these humble structures in her pedagogy and research. “They have a low impact on the environment and don’t require extensive labor to build.”

While at the University of Manitoba, Reis led more than 200 students in submitting creative design-build projects for the Winnipeg Design Festival. “IN[STALL]ATION,” an eight-foot cube pavilion showcasing light and color play with translucent material, was one of six projects submitted in 2018, representing the collective work of 100 students.

Two cubic structures with colorful materials stand on cement on a sunny day.
“IN[STALL]ATION” is an eight-foot cube pavilion showcasing light and color play with translucent material, a project designed and built by Reis's students at the University of Winnipeg. 

“Amanda brings additional perspective to RIT’s teaching and scholarship through her interest in sustainable community development and integrative thinking around design and construction,” said Seth Holmes, associate professor and interim department head. “Her work with indigenous peoples and immigrant groups on social and environmental justice issues is inspiring and an area that needs increased attention in the design profession and built environment.”

Reis looks forward to helping RIT’s architecture students expand how they think about the built environment. “I would love it if they could see beyond the walls of a building,” she said.


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