WL S25 Research Assistant | Decommodified Housing Practices
Overview of duties
This position stems from a research grant that continues the work of Architects Against Housing Alienation by researching and compiling a set of case studies of existing precedents of decommodified (cooperative and community land trust) housing in Canada that uniquely bring together their policy context, financial context, and architectural design to understand how these could be models for future housing. The project, in application to a SSHRC Insight Development Grant, builds on the previous work of the same group of collaborators who formed the collective Architects Against Housing Alienation that represented Canada at the Venice architecture biennale in 2023.
Tasks and Duties
The student will research existing decommodified cooperative and community land trust housing in Canada. The student will work closely with their supervisor and the Principal Investigator, UBC SALA Associate Professor Sara Stevens, as well as the collaborator team, to advance their research. They will collect data, images, architectural drawings, and narratives about existing case studies of housing in Canada that advances decommodified approaches that are potential models to use going forward in housing production. The role will include conducting outreach to stakeholders, compiling case study data, and preparing this information for inclusion in an online platform. The student will present their findings to the research team, maintain organized files in MS Teams, respond in a timely manner to communications with the supervisor and collaborator team, and meet weekly with the supervisor and collaborator team for guidance and feedback.
Level of supervision provided
Under general supervision. The student is expected to take guidance from the supervisor and collaborators and work independently, with regular weekly meetings to provide supervision and guidance.
Level of complexity
The tasks will be somewhat complex because the research topic is complex, and finding information about existing buildings can be challenging. Managing the data collection in an organized manner will require diligent file keeping. Timely communication and open dialogue with the supervisor and collaborator team will be critical.
Qualifications
Masters student currently enrolled in SALA, any year or program.
What are the previous skills/knowledge that the student must possess in order to be successful in the position?
Highly organized, professional and timely in communications, self-starter, skilled architectural researcher, knowledge of MS Teams.
Application deadline
How to apply
Please submit CV and cover letter to Sara Stevens at sstevens@sala.ubc.ca.