MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE
Florencio IV Gamboa Tameta—Vestacon Limited Award
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Florencio IV Gamboa Tameta—Vestacon Limited Award
About the Award
Vestacon Limited Award:
TMU alumnus Sam Falzone is the President of Vestacon Limited. By creating this award, Sam hopes to foster the same values of leadership and community involvement that have guided him throughout his career. This award will provide financial support and recognition for an undergraduate (third or fourth/final year) or a graduate student within the Department of Architectural Science who demonstrates leadership and excellence in project management
Throughout my academic and professional journey, I have consistently demonstrated leadership and excellence in project management, balancing multiple responsibilities while ensuring successful outcomes. One of the earliest examples of my leadership was in my second year of undergrad, when I served on the design team for Tripix, an art installation for the Toronto Waterfront’s 2019 Icebreakers competition. As part of this project, I managed over 40 volunteers throughout the prefabrication, mock-up, and on-site installation phases. My role involved delegating tasks, coordinating schedules, and ensuring clear communication between design team members and volunteers. The success of Tripix was highlighted in architectural publications such as ArchDaily, Canadian Architect, and Azure, showcasing my ability to lead a team and execute a complex project.
In addition to design projects, I have held leadership positions in mentoring and publication roles. As the Creative Director and Graphics Team Lead for 325 Magazine, I oversaw the production of the 2020-2021 edition. This involved managing a 10-person Graphics team, systemizing workflows, and ensuring deadlines were met with a high standard of quality and creative content. I was responsible for guiding the magazine’s creative vision, which celebrated the outstanding work of our program’s architecture students and showcased it to Toronto’s architectural community. This role further strengthened my skills in project management, balancing creative direction with the logistics of publication, marketing, and content creation.
In the architectural profession, I have developed my project management skills over three years of experience as an Architectural Designer at Gow Hastings Architects. I played a key role in delivering major projects such as the Université de l’Ontario Français (UOF) Campus, Holland Bloorview Research Institute Addition/Renovation, Eitz Chaim School and Kollel, Conestoga College Waterloo Campus North Expansion, and TMU projects like the Professional Music Student Lounge Renovation and Active Learning Classroom in Kerr Hall. My involvement spanned from schematic design to construction documentation, and in some cases, continued to project closeouts through contract administration. I was responsible for overseeing BIM management, coordinating M&E and consultant drawings for permit and tender sets, and leading the production of construction drawings. Additionally, I managed contract administration tasks, responding to RFIs, reviewing shop drawings, and issuing ASKs, SIs, PCOs, and COs. These experiences honed my ability to manage the technical aspects of projects while ensuring clear communication and coordination across teams. My comfort in navigating these responsibilities also led me to take on mentorship roles for new interns and junior designers at the firm. In these experiences, I have developed leadership and project management skills that have allowed me to excel academically and professionally in contributing to the delivery of built and published work.
Vestacon Limited Award:
TMU alumnus Sam Falzone is the President of Vestacon Limited. By creating this award, Sam hopes to foster the same values of leadership and community involvement that have guided him throughout his career. This award will provide financial support and recognition for an undergraduate (third or fourth/final year) or a graduate student within the Department of Architectural Science who demonstrates leadership and excellence in project management
Throughout my academic and professional journey, I have consistently demonstrated leadership and excellence in project management, balancing multiple responsibilities while ensuring successful outcomes. One of the earliest examples of my leadership was in my second year of undergrad, when I served on the design team for Tripix, an art installation for the Toronto Waterfront’s 2019 Icebreakers competition. As part of this project, I managed over 40 volunteers throughout the prefabrication, mock-up, and on-site installation phases. My role involved delegating tasks, coordinating schedules, and ensuring clear communication between design team members and volunteers. The success of Tripix was highlighted in architectural publications such as ArchDaily, Canadian Architect, and Azure, showcasing my ability to lead a team and execute a complex project.
In addition to design projects, I have held leadership positions in mentoring and publication roles. As the Creative Director and Graphics Team Lead for 325 Magazine, I oversaw the production of the 2020-2021 edition. This involved managing a 10-person Graphics team, systemizing workflows, and ensuring deadlines were met with a high standard of quality and creative content. I was responsible for guiding the magazine’s creative vision, which celebrated the outstanding work of our program’s architecture students and showcased it to Toronto’s architectural community. This role further strengthened my skills in project management, balancing creative direction with the logistics of publication, marketing, and content creation.
In the architectural profession, I have developed my project management skills over three years of experience as an Architectural Designer at Gow Hastings Architects. I played a key role in delivering major projects such as the Université de l’Ontario Français (UOF) Campus, Holland Bloorview Research Institute Addition/Renovation, Eitz Chaim School and Kollel, Conestoga College Waterloo Campus North Expansion, and TMU projects like the Professional Music Student Lounge Renovation and Active Learning Classroom in Kerr Hall. My involvement spanned from schematic design to construction documentation, and in some cases, continued to project closeouts through contract administration. I was responsible for overseeing BIM management, coordinating M&E and consultant drawings for permit and tender sets, and leading the production of construction drawings. Additionally, I managed contract administration tasks, responding to RFIs, reviewing shop drawings, and issuing ASKs, SIs, PCOs, and COs. These experiences honed my ability to manage the technical aspects of projects while ensuring clear communication and coordination across teams. My comfort in navigating these responsibilities also led me to take on mentorship roles for new interns and junior designers at the firm. In these experiences, I have developed leadership and project management skills that have allowed me to excel academically and professionally in contributing to the delivery of built and published work.
