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Jonathan Jacobs interviewed MTA Partner Carol Phillips on Issued for Construction, a long form podcast dedicated to the careers and lives of the individuals shaping the built environment.
“I developed a real love of physics and it was a real passion of mine because it was expansive. I understand physics to be rooted in thinking about how we exist and how anything exists at the molecular level through relationships of forces. Those kinds of questions inspired me in the same way that reading Kafka would.”
The episode explores Carol's circuitous path to becoming an architect in Toronto, beginning with her upbringing in Guyana, and eventually leading to an education at University of Waterloo and training in Vancouver, Barcelona, and Hong Kong. These diverse experiences ultimately led to her joining Moriyama Teshima Architects in 2006, where she led projects such as the Multi-Faith Centre, Government of Canada Visitor Welcome Centre, UTM Meeting Place Renovations, and Limberlost Place.
The intimate conversation goes into depth about her interdisciplinary interests in literature and physics, her early exposure to nature and biodiversity, and how architecture is a practice that should engage both the mind and body.
“I live in the world of phenomenology, of your body in space, and material, and your connection to nature. These buildings become a vessel for social interaction, but also personal interaction with just space and place.”
Find the episode on Spotify, Apple Podcast, or YouTube.