UCalgary School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape welcomes new assistant professor

The University of Calgary’s School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape (SAPL) has another assistant professor joining its ranks: Jessie Andjelic, BGS’06, MArch’09.

Andjelic attended UCalgary for both her undergraduate and graduate degree and is back to teach students the principles of architecture and its importance in influencing the contemporary designs of our lived environments.

In her new role, Andjelic says one of her goals is to, “expose students to various design strategies, frameworks and approaches to help them identify questions and themes they are interested in getting more curious about.”

After years of working with renowned architectural firms such as Sturgess Architects in Calgary and Powerhouse Company in Rotterdam, Andjelic co-founded SPECTACLE Bureau for Architecture and Urbanism in 2013 with fellow SAPL alum and new hire, Philip Vandermey, BGS’03, MArch’06.

Andjelic has been honoured for her contributions in the field of architecture with the 2019 Young Architect Award from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. SPECTACLE, under her leadership, was recognized as an Emerging Talent by Canadian Architect in 2017, and its project, Tigers Retrofit, earned the Best of Canada Award from Canadian Interiors magazine in the same year. Andjelic also serves as a director with the Canadian Architectural Certificate Board and played a pivotal role in securing victories in four architectural competitions with her previous firms.

As an assistant professor (teaching), Andjelic champions the concept of “projective practice” which, she says, “is the conceptual foundation for SPECTACLE — architecture that critically reflects the reality of the contemporary situation while, at the same time, projecting an optimistic future.”

Her goal is to inspire students to use architecture as a lens through which to examine society and to explore the relationship between their work and current challenges.

Andjelic’s arrival at SAPL coincides with a transformative moment in the school’s history as it relocates to downtown Calgary. She views this juncture as an exciting “watershed moment,” marked by the retirement of some of her former teachers and mentors. Over the last 15 years, Andjelic says she has been “gradually formalizing” her role within SAPL.

“I’m excited to keep growing through my activities with the school and relationships with fantastically inspiring colleagues and students,” Andjelic says.

For Andjelic, her academic activities are a vital component of her overall practice as she seeks to create architectural works that critically examine and influence our cities.

SAPL welcomes Andjelic, who will undoubtedly contribute significantly to the excellence of the School and inspire students to think innovatively and critically in the realm of architecture, planning and landscape.