Museum of Emotions #8 competition Honorable mention winners - Sahar Hakimpour, Lhanzi Gyaltsan and Khadija Waheed

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to the Honorable mention winner of our Museum of Emotions #8 competition – Sahar Hakimpour, Lhanzi Gyaltsan and Khadija Waheed from Canada!

Sahar Hakimpour, Lhanzi Gyaltsan and Khadija Waheed from Canada

Please tell us about your company (when it was founded, where it is based, how many employees, etc) Alternatively, if you do not have a company, please give us some insights on your own professional/academia background.

The three of us graduated from the University of Toronto’s Master of Architecture program in 2025.

Brief information about the projects that you/your company have been involved with. For instance, what scale have you focused on/preferred, any significant projects where the company/ individuals have been Involved?

We all have varying design interests that span from historical preservation at neighbourhood scales, to building science and passive design in singular buildings. A unifying theme to all of our interests is materiality and how it may affect human experiences within and around spaces.

What does architecture mean to you and what is the role of an architect in your society?

Architecture dictates how we experience the world around us, and well-designed spaces can significantly improve our quality of life. It is an architect’s job to collaborate with other disciplines and shape our environment into one that can generate positive experiences and interactions with other individuals, communities, and nature.

Why do you participate in architecture competitions?

After graduating and starting to work in architecture, competitions became a creative outlet that we missed from school. In practice, there are often project constraints and deadlines that shape how you approach design, whereas competitions give us a chance to step back and explore ideas more freely. We see them as an opportunity to keep challenging ourselves, try different approaches, and continue developing our creativity and skills as designers.

What advice would you give to individuals who struggle to decide whether it would be beneficial for them to participate in architecture competitions?

Architecture competitions provide us with opportunities to express our creativity within a discipline that typically doesn’t allow us to fully explore the scope of our capabilities. If you are someone who values this side of architecture, or are still struggling to find your creative niche, competitions are a great avenue in doing so in a way that is still constructive and structured.