Ted Watson
Partner | OAA ARCHITECT AIBC AAA SAA NSAA AANB Int'l. A. AIA FRAIC LEED AP
Ted is an architecture and urban design leader within MJMA’s interdisciplinary studio, setting design standards and the firm’s direction. For over 25 years, he has crafted deeply researched and expressive campus and public-realm buildings that are ecological and social agents of change and community-building. With projects in Canada, the US, New Zealand, and Australia, Ted has focused his career on the development of public and campus architecture. Signature characteristics of his work are the organization of complex programming with bold and clear concepts and making the most of 'in-between' spaces, to strengthen social interaction. He has also led many of our projects that have used innovative and emerging sustainability strategies, including Net Zero energy targets, carbon neutrality, and mass timber technology.
Highlights of Ted’s portfolio include the University of British Columbia Aquatic Centre, a facility that deftly balances campus use with programming for the broader community. More recently, he has led the Vancouver Aquatic Centre and the Western North York Community Centre—the former slated to be the first Passive House aquatic centre in North America. Other notable projects in Ted’s portfolio include the Princeton University Class of 1986 Fitness and Wellness Center, as well as the Hiwa Recreation Centre at the University of Auckland, the latter of which rejuvenates a campus precinct while providing eight storeys of health and wellness programming on a highly confined urban site. These projects are also indicative of Ted’s approach to landscape and urban design — where the building doubles as an infrastructural element that advances the creation of public realms, integrating interior and exterior spaces and promoting walkability. Among the master planning studies he has led are those for Branksome Hall in Toronto and La Trobe University in Melbourne.
A frequent jury member and speaker, Ted has presented at conferences and academic institutions in Canada and abroad. Recent talks have addressed Net Zero design at the International Conference for Sport and Recreation, and the future of campus architecture at the World Architecture Festival. Ted is a former OAA Councilmember, has sat on multiple OAA sub-committees and on the South West Ontario RAIC sub-committee, and formerly served on the Hamilton Design Review Panel and Ontario Library Association ALIP sub-committee.
Ted has a Bachelor of Science from the University of British Columbia and a Master of Architecture from the University of Calgary, where upon graduation he received the AIA Gold Medal for Excellence. He obtained Part 3 Certification from the Bartlett School of Architecture at University College, London. Ted joined MJMA in 1996 and has been a Partner since 2009.
