Over the course of his long career, John van Nostrand has proven himself to be a visionary, leading architectural and urban development projects around the world. In the words of co-nominator Bruce Kuwabara, founding partner of KPMB Architects, “John has been a trail blazer at home and abroad, and has diversified his practice to be an agent of positive environmental and social change.”
John received his architecture degree from the University of Toronto in 1972. Along with classmates Joost Bakker, Bruce Kuwabara, Barry Sampson, and professor George Baird, he co-founded an architectural practice and helped develop comprehensive urban design guidelines for the City of Toronto. In 1974, he delved further into city-building, joining the Ontario Ministry of Housing’s North Pickering land-use project. The idea of SvN as an integrated practice began in 1978, when John stepped off a plane in Botswana to help the local government design the first “squatter upgrading” projects in Sub-Saharan Africa. This experience led him to combine architecture, planning, and civil engineering as a unified force for change. After three years in Botswana, John returned to Canada but couldn’t find work; few architects could see the value in such a mind expanding global experience. He took his exams and registered his first firm in 1982—John van Nostrand Architect and Planner.
Over the ensuing three decades, his practice evolved through a series of different partnerships, always with the same goal of bringing diverse expertise to the wider world. In 2015, John became the founding principal of SvN Architects + Partners, the firm he leads today. Under his direction, SvN is renowned for the planning, design, and construction management of places that are sustainable, pragmatic, affordable, and rooted in a historic understanding of the site. John’s work has been recognized with a lengthy list of national and international awards, including the 2004 Jane Jacobs Prize. He is renowned as a leader in the planning and design of affordable housing, as well as transportation and transit infrastructure. His comprehensive development plans with Indigenous and developing communities in Nunavut, Manitoulin Island, Mongolia, Senegal, and other regions are landmark accomplishments. Whether at home or abroad, John continues to be one of the most provocative thinkers about city building, community building, and social equity.
Publish Date : 2022/Jul/18