We are located on original lands of the Anishinaabeg, Cree, Ojibwe-Cree, Dakota, and Dene peoples, and on the homeland of the Red River Métis. We are grateful for being able to live, work, and play on these lands.
Video: colorized point clouds of University of Manitoba’s Fort Gary Campus
About us
Future Elements Studio (festudio) is a research and teaching group in the Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Manitoba in Canada.
We investigate and teach the intricacies of human settlements, encompassing elements from individual trees and buildings to cities and regional landscapes. Our work uses geospatial analytics, cartographic design, and an array of sensing technologies such as optical remote sensing and laser scanning to systematically inventory, monitor, and research.
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What happened in the dark: mapping global human displacement
Shady trees of Vancouver (coming soon)
ur-scape (coming soon)
Argropolitan territories (coming soon)
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Datasets we made (coming soon)
Datasets we used (coming soon)
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News
2024 Jan: festudio welcomes Benjamin, Matthew, and Gel from the Department of Landscape Architecture. First three of many!
2024 Jan: We thank the University of Manitoba’s URGP program for providing a seed grant for our research on urban digital twins (UDT).
2024 Feb: We are growing! Kyra, Reece, and Zach from the Environmental Design program joined us to work on a funded project. Welcome!
2024 Feb: Yuhao becomes one of the newest working group members of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6.
2024 Mar: Our proposal to acquire a multi-spectral drone has been awarded by the UM Faculty of Architecture. We look forward to collecting some delicious spectral data and point-clouds over our landscape in the coming years with our friends and colleagues at the FabLab. Stay tuned!
2024 Apr: We are excited to welcome two Undergraduate Research Awardees, thanks to the URA program. Brandan and Miguel will be working full time with us from May until end of August!
Team (a-z)
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Director | Assistant Professor
Yuhao is a student of maps. His research and teaching activities involve geospatial analytics, earth observation, and cartographic design. Yuhao’s work explores the calculative and propositional power of maps and map-making, particularly in settlement design and planning, urban forestry, and scenario generation and assessment.
Prior to joining the University of Manitoba, Yuhao has worked at the Future Cities Laboratory (ETH Zürich) and elementslab (UBC), engaging with projects from neighborhood (e.g. Vancouver, Prince George) to regional (e.g. West Java), and global (e.g. pan-pacific) scale. Yuhao completed his PhD with the IRSS lab in 2018.
More: Yuhao’s faculty website
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MLA Candidate
Ben is a graduate student in the Department of Landscape Architecture. In his academics, he enjoys collecting and working with spatial data to identify and emphasize correlations between current and historic landscapes, Ben is also interested in 3D modeling using Vectorworks and Rhino and generating realistic rendered perspectives in TwinMotion or Lumion. After previously working with commercial and residential building supplies, he also appreciates opportunities to assist with home renovations. During his downtime, he enjoys sketching, landscape photography, and performing genealogical research.
More: Ben’s personal website
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B.EnvD Year 4
Reece is a fourth year undergraduate student in the Landscape and Urbanism stream of the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Manitoba. Reece’s design interests focus on the everyday; incorporating local skills, knowledge and practice into the design process. He believes that designs and data alike should always engage the public to foster new voices and methods within the field.
Outside of education, Reece enjoys cycling, hobbyist-level making, and socializing. He spends his summers in Riding Mountain National Park, where he enjoys his time outside in Manitoba’s forests and lakes. He aspires to incorporate these hobbies and interests into his designs as he pursues a master’s education in Landscape Architecture.
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B.EnvD Year 4
Brandan is a fourth year undergrad in the department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Manitoba, with a special interest in combining the ideas and theory from Landscape Urbanism and New Urbanism think tanks. He believes that many problems associated with quality of life, climate change, and sustainability can be solved through pragmatic and innovative design.
Brandan is a co-winner of Barkman Concrete’s annual Paver Design Competition, and spends his free time 3D modelling, reading, watching films, and spending quality time with nature; observing plants and wildlife through a photographic lens.
Brandan is a recipient of the 2024 URA at the University of Manitoba.
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MLA Candidate
As a Master of Landscape Architecture student, Matthew is particularly interested in urban parks and other large-scale public infrastructure projects which has led to his practicum research of adapting existing Olympic Parks for flexible, long-term use. What initially drew him to the Future Elements Studio project was the applicability of Digital Twins to designers in cities big and small while also allowing this innovative resource to be accessible to underfunded communities. When not in school, Matthew enjoys all things outdoors (especially in the mountains) and has way too many hobbies to keep track of.
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MLA Candidate
Gel is a graduate of the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Environmental Design Degree (BEnvD) and a current master's student in the Department of Landscape Architecture. Gel has used GIS in many previous projects using programs such as QGIS and ArcGIS which started as something she was “required” to learn but now, she is interested in exploring more of its potential to aid current and future issues at multiple scales. Gel enjoys spending her free time with her dog at home and taking him for walks in the park.
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B.EnvD Year 4
Kyra has an interest in pursuing Urban Design with a focus on water storage and management in urban settings by keeping a positive outlook on climate change and approaching pragmatic design with a lens of joy and beauty. She believes that design can solve big problems by working with our complex world as a puzzle made up of small pieces.
Kyra is a student in Year 4 of the Environmental Design Program in the Landscape and Urbanism Stream graduating in Spring 2024. She has been involved in the Warming Huts v2024 competition and was a photography competition winner for LAND+ at Atmosphere14. In her free time, she enjoys playing cello (badly) and baking.
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B.EnvD Year 4
Zach, a fourth-year student in the Landscape and Urbanism stream of the Environmental Design Program, is captivated by water systems and how they shape our urban landscapes, channeling life into our cities. He believes that design can build stronger connections between human and natural systems by using storytelling as our medium.
With a background as a landscape designer for residential spaces, Zach has experience working with detailed landscape construction and planting. When not in school or outside gardening in the summer, Zach loves to go for exploratory walks, discovering new restaurants, and drawing memorable landscape scenes.
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B.EnvD Year 3
Miguel is part of the Architecture stream at the University of Manitoba. He has always had a curious mind and has a strong willingness to learn from everything and everywhere. During his time in the program, he would always ask questions, watch reviews throughout all the levels and speak to plenty of students about their project and work. This admiration for creatives did not only begin in the program. He enjoys coming to exhibitions, art galleries, and music as part of his routine. His grand appreciation in the arts is an instilled characteristic of his persona and he genuinely enjoys being involved in the community. After his third year he began becoming more curious about architectural technology and is eager to learn more about topics outside of his expertise such as landscape and how the city interacts with each other as a whole.
Miguel is a recipient of the 2024 URA at the University of Manitoba.
