ADFF Toronto 2025: Building on the Edge

Few architects ever have the chance to design buildings for one of the most extreme environments on Earth—Antarctica. Building on the Edge (2025) tells the story of one such group of designers. When scientists at NOAA grew frustrated by the poor design quality available within strict government budgets, they took an unconventional leap: they invited the University of Colorado’s Master of Architecture Design/Build class to take on the challenge.

The students were tasked not only with designing functional structures in a landscape better suited to penguins and seals than humans, but also with navigating a complex logistical puzzle. Their buildings would need to be built in Colorado, disassembled, shipped to Chile, loaded onto a vessel capable of braving the infamous Drake Passage, and finally transferred by rubber raft to the Antarctic coast, where they’d be reassembled on-site. Building on the Edge (2025) captures the thrill of design idealism clashing with the challenges of full-scale reality.

About the Architecture and Design Film Festival

The Architecture and Design Film Festival (ADFF)—North America’s largest film festival dedicated to architecture and design—is coming back to Toronto for another year of great films and insightful discussions! From November 12-15, catch one of their amazing lineup of 13 films, from all over the world. Looking for the full list of films showcased at this year’s ADFF: Toronto? See the complete programme on the festival’s website!

The TSA is proud to once again be partnering with ADFF: Toronto to bring a series of panel discussions and post-screening Q&As that complement this year’s film roster. These panels bring together architects, film-makers, and subject matter experts to further explore the themes of each film and bring them back to our local context here in Toronto.

TSA MEMBERS: Members get discounted tickets to all showings at ADFF: Toronto! Keep an eye out for the code in the announcement of the ticket sales launch.