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 ...