Written by Sawyer Cunningham - Our trip to Montreal began with students sitting in the van waiting for instructors for our “wheels up at 8:30” departure time.

The drive felt shorter than expected. Border control went smoother than expected. Montreal was different than expected. Despite my numerous visits to the city in the past I had somehow neglected to explore Montreal in the way that we did on this trip.

We explored markets and parks and witnessed the inspiring level of community engagement in Montreal’s public spaces.

We experienced neighborhoods with a sense of individuality and community that was exciting and inspiring for our own design work.

Our tour of Habitat 67 gave good insight into different ways in which people can be inspired in their design processes and the shear scale that a project can take to be completed.

The end of our trip was spent unsuccessfully searching for a lemon tart to enjoy with an espresso. Sadly espresso was all we could find. The thirst for a lemon tart is one that can never be quenched.