Stephen Fai

Biography

Stephen Fai is the director of the Carleton Immersive Media Studio (CIMS), a research centre dedicated to the advanced study of innovative, hybrid forms of representation that can both reveal the invisible measures of architecture and animate the visible world of construction. At CIMS, Fai explores and develops digital workflows for the architecture, engineering and construction industries. His research integrates digitization, building information modelling, simulation and digitally assisted fabrication.

Fai is also an associate professor in the Azrieli School of Architecture and Urbanism in the research-intensive Faculty of Engineering and Design, where he teaches in the design studio and in the PhD program. He is also cross-appointed with the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Institute for Comparative Studies in Literature, Art, and Culture. He has taught courses on hand drawing and on various themes in the history and theory of architecture.

Fai holds a professional Bachelor of Architecture from Carleton and a PhD in Religious Studies from the University of Ottawa. Before becoming director of CIMS in 2007, he was acting director and director of the School of Architecture from 2002 until 2005, and associate director, graduate programs from 2006 until 2010.

Fai’s research interests are at the intersections of architecture, religion and representation. These have played out through various projects during his time at CIMS. His most recent focus is on applications of building information modelling for architectural conservation and rehabilitation.

“Carleton is now the centre in Canada for applied research in — and the development of new pedagogies for — heritage conservation,” said Fai. “Carleton affords me the opportunity to work in this field with internationally recognized colleagues from diverse disciplines with access to state-of-the-art technologies and facilities.”