Urban Belonging luncheon: Designing the Places We Call Home

Join us for lunch and a discussion on how architecture shapes identity. Moderator Elsa Lam leads experts Alar Kongats and Tõnis Arjus in exploring whether our built environment fosters belonging, and if that sense of place is essentially urban or national.

When KESKUS stepped forward to kick off the city's Bloor Corridor Visioning Study, it set in motion something far greater than standard urban planning. It became a profound gift back to Toronto—a tangible thank-you from an Estonian diaspora that has flourished in North America's.

By establishing a charming, through-block connection from Spadina subway station through to St. George, KESKUS changes how we experience the neighbourhood. For the daily pedestrian, it offers a seamless shortcut. For the visitor, it unfolds as a pathway of discovery, inviting them to pause and engage. On a larger scale, it raises compelling questions about how localized spaces knit themselves into the broader conversations of a country or a continent or a people.

Be part of the discussion about KESKUS and what it will mean for future generations, and enjoy a delicious lunch*, in the cool of the KESKfEST Festival Tent!

Alar Kongats

The architect of KESKUS International Estonian Centre, Alar Kongats, with his Estonian heritage, brings a profound understanding of cultural identity and civic space to Toronto. He is the founder of Toronto-based Kongats Architects, established in 2001, and an alumnus of the University of Toronto School of Architecture. His distinguished career has earned him four Governor General’s Medal in Architecture, the highest honour in Canada for architecture. Alar Kongats has specialized in public-sector architecture, creating celebrated educational, health, and community facilities. His landmark designs include the Terrence Donnelly Health Sciences Centre and the King City Public Library, culminating in KESKUS as one of his latest masterworks.

Tõnis Arjus

Tõnis Arjus started his role as the first state architect for Estonia a year ago, and leads a team of 35 people at the Land and Spatial Development Board. He holds a master's degree in Architecture and Urban Planning from the Estonian Academy of Arts, and in Change Management in Society from the University of Tartu. Previously he worked in both private and public sectors including eleven years as the city of Tartu's chief architect. He is the author/host of Estonian urban podcast “Ruumilood”, check these out, in Estonian, here.

Elsa Lam

She is the editor-in-chief of Canadian Architect magazine. She trained in architecture at the University of Waterloo, obtained her post-professional Master of Architecture from McGill, and completed her PhD in Architectural History and Theory at Columbia University in New York City. She is the co-editor of the book Canadian Modern Architecture, 1967 to the Present. Lam is a Fellow of the RAIC and an Honourary Member of the OAA.

Lam received the National Magazine Awards’ 2024 B2B Leadership Award, and Canadian Architect was named Best Publisher in the 2020 National Magazine Awards:B2B.

*dietary preferences such as vegetarian, gluten free and vegan will be provided for.