Colin Ripley
Areas of Specialization
Architectural theory
Queer architecture
Sound and architecture
Canadian modern architecture
Architectural education
Education
Year | University | Degree |
---|---|---|
1994 | Princeton University | MArch |
1986 | University of Toronto | MSc |
1985 | McMaster University | BEng |
Selected Courses
Course Code | Course Title |
---|---|
ASC 401 | Design Studio III: Technical and Regulatory Issues |
ARC 720 | Architecture Studio: Four Futures |
AR8106 | Current Topics in Architectural Praxis |
AR8107 | Contemporary Architectural Theory |
Spotlight
For Colin Ripley, architecture isn’t so much about making buildings; it’s about trying to understand the way we build the world and the structures that organize our lives. “This is the one theme that has been constant in my work,” he says. “Whether I’m writing about queer theory in architecture or teaching an undergraduate studio, I’m trying to come to grips with the deep conceptual systems that we live in.”
Recently, for example, Ripley asked his fourth-year architecture studio students to imagine a future based on scenarios set out by Peter Frase in his book, Four Futures. Do we face a world of plenty or scarcity? Of equality or hierarchy? The students designed a community—to be built in 2037—on the current site of Queen’s Park in Toronto. The results were impressive. From a floating enclave for the wealthy with its own food production system, to an education centre for the masses, their conceptual designs raised many questions. “I want them to understand that as architects, they won’t just be making buildings,” Ripley says. “They will be making ethical and moral decisions that impact all of us.”

“I’ve always been fascinated by the structure of the universe.”
Selected Works
- 2012-13 Journal of Architectural Education Best Design as Scholarship Article Award. (Ripley, C., Thün, G. & Velikov, K.)
- 2009 Canada Council for the Arts. Professional Prix de Rome in Architecture (RVTR).
- 2008 American Institute of Architects Honor Award: Thomas L. Wells Public School (Baird Sampson Neuert Architects; Colin Ripley and Geoffrey Thün: Project Architects).
- 2006 Governor-General’s Medal in Architecture: Erindale Hall, University of Toronto at Mississauga (Baird Sampson Neuert Architects; Colin Ripley: Project Architect).
- Thün, G., Velikov, K., MacTavish, D. and Ripley, C. (RVTR) (2015). Infra-|Eco-|Logi-|Urbanism: The Great Lakes Megaregion. Zurich: Park Books.
- Polo, M. and Ripley, C. (2014). Architecture and National Identity: The Centennial Projects 50 Years On / Architecture et identité nationale : les projets du Centenaire, 50 ans plus tard. Halifax: Dalhousie Architectural Press.
- Ripley, C. (2018). Strategies for living in houses. In Gorny, R. & van den Heuvel, D. (Eds.), Trans-Bodies / Queering Spaces [Special issue]. Footprint ,21.
- Ripley, C. (2015). Instrumental operations in the urban assemblage. Journal of Sonic Studies 11 - Recomposing the City: New Directions in Urban Sound Art. https://www.researchcatalogue.net/view/234594/234595. (R)
- Ripley, C. (2013). Digital distraction: Towards a technological criticism. Volume, Iss. 36: 38-40.
- 2016 President, Canadian Architectural Certification Board