2025 Photo Contest

In celebration of North Bay’s 100th anniversary, supported by Special Project Funding, the NBSA collaborated with the North Bay Municipal Heritage Committee (MHC) in sponsoring its 2025 photo contest : Through the Lens of Time: Celebrating 100 Years of Design. This year’s theme highlights the connection between architecture and the natural elements of air, water, and land — key elements also represented in the City’s Centennial logo.

The contest includes two age categories: youth (17 and under in 2025) and adult (18 and older in 2025). The deadline for submissions is Oct. 14, 2025. For full contest details, including rules and submission forms, visit the contest webpage or contact heritage@cityofnorthbay.ca.

2024 Queen's Park Picks, Suswin Village

We are pleased to share that the Suswin Village Housing project located in North Bay has recently been selected as one of nine provincial wide housing projects by the OAA 2024 Queens Park Picks. Congratulations to the North Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre, Larocque Elder Architects Inc, and all others involved!

Rooted in the heart of downtown, Suswin Village provides a safe, accessible and dignified housing solution for North Bay’s Indigenous homeless. Meaning ‘nest’ in Ojibway, Suswin Village offers its residents a warm, welcoming and home-like environment.

The design incorporates best-practice sustainable design strategies, practices, and systems, including natural ventilation, durable cladding materials, highly insulated exterior wall and roof assemblies, energy-efficient triple-glazed window units, LED lighting complete with occupancy sensors, and sensor-activated, low-flow plumbing fixtures.

More Northern Picks

Image : Map of Queen’s Park Pick Project located in North Bay Ontario. Image courtesy of the Ontario Associations of Architects website.

Locally, the Suswin Village is the second project to receive a Queen’s Park Picks award. Completed in 2011, the North Bay Regional Health Centre (Evans Bertrand Hill Wheeler Architecture Inc) was awarded a QPP award in 2017. These projects, along with others, highlight the talent and innovative vision of our local architects, showcasing their ability to blend creativity with functionality and elevate the architectural landscape of our community.

Climate Change Challenge 2024 Winners

The North Bay Society of Architects (NBSA) is delighted to announce the winners of the 2024 Climate Change Challenge. Congratulations to all participants for their outstanding efforts. This year's submissions far exceeded our expectations, showcasing exceptional creativity, innovation, and a deep understanding of the environmental challenges that influence architectural design. The finalists effectively met all the competition criteria and demonstrated a keen awareness of the escalating forces of nature that are reshaping our environment.

The critical and creative process involved in this assignment mirrors the daily challenges architects face. Students collaborated in teams, fully engaging their senses and creative faculties. By following the design criteria and guidelines in the booklet, they generated three-dimensional architectural shelters that combined their research on climate change and biomimicry. They utilized planning, drafting, and communication skills, and ultimately tested their concepts by incorporating and modeling biodegradable materials from the Tool Kit into unique, expressive three-dimensional forms that addressed their specific climate challenge.

The Finalists

Elementary School Level

1st place in the Fire category at St. Luke Catholic Elementary School was awarded to Emmett and Olivia for their Phoenix-inspired shelter. This unique bird-shaped shelter, nestled in a recessed moat and surmounted by walls, showcased the students' creative minds and out-of-the-box thinking.

2nd place award for the Fire category at St. Luke Catholic Elementary School was given to the Red Brigade team members Frankie, Jethro, and Daniel for their meticulously detailed and thoughtfully executed fire shelter. This group included references to the Ontario Building Code and provided an evacuation plan as part of their project narrative. 

Dressed in red t-shirts, they fully embodied the spirit of the competition. 

3rd place in the Wind category at St. Luke Catholic Elementary School was awarded to Darcy, Hayden, and Alyss for their double-envelope shelter, designed with angled walls and a non-rectangular shape. 

The multi-layered facade used as a windbreak was a unique feature that mirrors how buildings are designed for extreme environments. It also reflects how people dress in harsh weather, wearing multiple layers for protection against the elements.

3rd place in the Water category at Mother St Bride Catholic Elementary School was awarded to Danielle, Beulah, Shimona and Daimon. 

This project captivated the jury with its playful and dynamic structure elevated on piers. The group went above and beyond by incorporating a computer-generated 3D rendering of the shelter as a guiding template for the model.

Secondary School Level

1st place in the Water category at Northern Secondary School was awarded to Nick, Troy, Bryce and Lizzy. 

This group of young planners and designers exceeded all project requirements with their well-executed drawings, strong narrative, and meticulously crafted model, which reflected all the concept sketches generated during their brainstorming session. Congratulations!

2nd place in the Water category at Ecole Secondaire Catholique Algonquin  was awarded to Emma, Dominique, and Andrea. 

Inspired by the structural strength of a mangrove tree, this design showcased the students' commitment to biomimicry. The root system and sturdy stem leading to the elevated shelter provide ample protection for the three little pigs during rising river water levels.

3rd place in the Fire category at Ecole Secondaire Catholique Algonquin  was awarded to Lauren and Kayley.

The simplicity and ingenuity of this design caught the jury's attention. The students incorporated skylight portals with filters to purify the air in the underground bunker. The earth-integrated shelter and use of simple shapes effectively conveyed the students' narrative and their attempt to provide a secure living environment for their three little pigs. 

NBSA's New Website

Welcome to our new website! We are excited to be sharing a communal webpage as the North Bay Society of Architects (NBSA), a Society of the Ontario Association of Architects (OAA). 

Please visit our page regularly for news updates and to see what projects the NBSA is involved with in the community of North Bay and surrounding areas.