Award-winning innovator and UCalgary alum becomes one of the Master of Architecture program’s newest assistant professors

Philip Vandermey is no stranger to the University of Calgary’s School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape (SAPL).

Having been part of the SAPL family since 2007, as both a sessional instructor and later as assistant adjunct professor, Vandermey, BGS’03, MArch’06, will continue to share his wealth of experience in critical design techniques, exploring contemporary issues at architectural, landscape, urban and regional scales as one of the School’s new assistant professors in the Master of Architecture program.

Vandermey came to SAPL direct from graduating from UCalgary with his Master of Architecture, specializing in Architecture and the Contemporary City; he previously received a Bachelor of General Studies with a minor in architectural studies.

“I’ve been teaching here since I graduated, and I love every minute of working with students in an environment that allows for risk-free thinking,” he says.

Vandermey has a diverse professional portfolio that spans project types and countries. He's a LEED Accredited Professional, a Registered Architect with the Alberta Association of Architects and the Stichting Bureau Architectenregister, and has worked with firms from Barcelona to Montreal and Rotterdam. His independent work and work as an employee at previous offices, particularly in the field of resilient urban structures and innovative designs, has earned him a collection of accolades including the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) Student Medal, two Canadian Architect Awards of Excellence, and a Progressive Architecture Award, among others.

Vandermey is also a co-founder of SPECTACLE Bureau for Architecture and Urbanism. SPECTACLE's Tigers Retrofit project, a sports-building design for the Medicine Hat Tigers WHL hockey team, is a testament to its creative prowess. The design consists of a series of theatrically lit operational spaces, contrasting black and white, small and large, and dark and bright, and was the recipient of Canadian Interiors’ 2017 Best of Canada Award.

As a dual Dutch-Canadian citizen, Vandermey says his work, “crosses project types and scales; however, my greatest focus has been in cultural projects, post-secondary education buildings, urban projects and municipal facilities.”

In his new role, Vandermey is set to inspire design excellence in various architectural studios, bridging the gap between practice and academics. These studios will blend work-integrated learning with community and industry partnerships, teaching critical architectural design across architectural, landscape and urban formats.

“I learn as much from students as they learn from me,” he says. “I’m looking forward to getting more involved at the faculty level, developing design research in the school and continuing to improve my teaching approaches.”  

SAPL is excited to see how Vandermey's experience, enthusiasm and entrepreneurial thinking will continue to elevate students' learning experiences and contribute to UCalgary’s mission of giving back to the community.