Maya Mahgoub-Desai
Maya
Mahgoub-Desai
M.Arch.
Forum
Maya Mahgoub-Desai is the current Chair of Environmental Design and an Associate Professor in the Design for Health program at OCAD University. Maya’s current research is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC / CRSH) and the Government of Canada’s Sustainable Development Goals Program and investigates themes related: to human-environment behaviour, public health policy and public realm design, addressing equity in design education (with a focus on disability) and inclusive teaching pedagogies.
As the Senior Urban Designer for Moriyama Teshima Architects, Maya has led several urban and peri-urban campus, community and municipal plans which focus on sustainable approaches, cultural resilience, and a collaborative community engagement process. Her portfolio includes serving as a subject matter expert for Waterfront Toronto; developing master plans for Qatar's Education City, Surrey City Development Corporation, and the Town of Whitby; and campus plans for the University of Lethbridge, Wilfrid Laurier University, and Conestoga College.
Maya also remains actively engaged in professional and volunteer activities that focus on health and equity. Maya currently serves as a committee member of the RAIC Promoting Equity and Justice Advisory Committee and as an Executive member of BEAT, co-leading the annual BEAT Forum.
Safoura Zahedi
Safoura Zahedi
Forum
M.Arch, BID, MRAIC
Safoura Zahedi is a Toronto-based architect, artist, and educator. Her interdisciplinary practice blends art and architecture, craft and technology, spirituality and materiality, using geometry as a spiritual design tool to create spatial experiences that inspire connection. Her research-based eponymous studio focuses on reinterpreting historic geometric patterns into contemporary architectural spaces, installations, and public art through innovative digital craft techniques.
Her work has been featured in The Globe and Mail, Azure, Dezeen, and Designlines among others, supported by the Ontario Arts Council, and recognized by Canada’s 2024 Women’s Empowerment Awards. She lectures on design and digital fabrication at Toronto Metropolitan University and on the history of Islamic geometric arts in architecture at the King’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts in London (UK).
Previously, she spent a decade leading award-winning projects at renowned Canadian firms including Moriyama & Teshima and Superkül. Her diverse portfolio ranges from winning international competitions on cultural projects such as the Dubai Archaeology Museum in the UAE, to new-build educational buildings like the Mulroney Institute of Government at StFX University, and interior renovations of iconic institutional landmarks including the CN Tower and Robarts Library.
Safoura is a passionate member of Toronto’s arts and culture community and spent a decade as Programs Coordinator at DesignTO, organizing Canada’s largest annual design festival. A committed advocate for diversity in design, Safoura currently serves on the Executive Committee of Building Equality in Architecture Toronto (BEAT), co-leading the annual BEAT Forum.