John McMinn is Professor of Architecture and Director of the Grand Studio Design Build Program at the University of Waterloo School of Architecture. He is a graduate of the Architectural Association and McGill University. He has taught and lectured at a variety of schools of architecture in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. He is a principal and founder of the Toronto based architectural practice MJ Architecture, whose portfolio includes building and public space design, exhibitions and art installations. He has published widely in journals on contemporary Canadian architecture, and has written books on the cultural dimensions of contemporary sustainable architecture, 41º to 66º: Regional Responses to Sustainable Architecture in Canada, (co-author with Marco Polo) and on Canada’s leading engineering practice in the later part of the 20th century, Yolles: A Canadian Engineering Legacy, (co-author with Beth Kapusta). He was recipient of the Canada Council Prix de Rome in Architecture in 1992-93, and his exhibition, (co-authored with Marco Polo), 41º to 66º: Region, Culture, Tectonics, represented Canada at the Venice Biennale for Architecture in 2008. Research interests include: architectural design, environmental technology, cultural issues in sustainability, materials and building construction, design of structures, Canadian architecture, architectural criticism. The Grand Studio Design Build Program works in collaboration with Indigenous communities in the Grand River Valley, on cultural infrastructure projects.
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