Anne Bordeleau has been appointed Director of the School of Architecture at the University of Waterloo.
An architect and historian who has been a professor at Waterloo since 2007, Bordeleau has an abiding interest in the relationship between architecture and time, as well as a strong belief that the discipline is best taught within a full cultural context.
She has a PhD from the Bartlett School of Graduate Studies at University College London in the United Kingdom after obtaining bachelor and master’s degrees from McGill University.
A registered architect in Quebec, her research has included historical investigations as well as studies of processes such as casting. She co-produced The Evidence Room, a chilling exhibit that included plaster casts of historical evidence from Auschwitz, showcased this year at the renowned Venice Biennale.
As director, Bordeleau has set three broad goals for the school: strengthening its connections with both local and global communities, including possible research stints for students in Asia, Africa and other areas of the world; increasing classroom instruction in cultural histories beyond Europe to better reflect the diversity of students, while also building on an existing focus on hands-on work in studios; more collaboration across disciplines, including development of a new degree program called integrated design that would combine elements of architecture, engineering and the arts.
“It is about opening their eyes rather than just honing in on disciplinary skills and putting them into silos,” she said of her view that the school’s purpose is to both train architects and help develop critical thinkers.
Anne joins two other leaders recently appointed to the top posts in three of the university’s eight departments or academic units. For more information on the new appointments, please click here.