Associate Professor and Associate Dean, Architecture

Jason Johnson is an Associate Professor and the Associate Dean of Architecture in SAPL, whose work exemplifies the intersection of digital innovation and social justice in architectural education. With a career path marked by international experiences and a focus on integrating technology with community-oriented design, Johnson’s work pushes the boundaries of how architecture can serve both the discipline and society at large. He is a founding partner of the Laboratory for Integrative Design at the University of Calgary, where he exhibits research work related to responsive architecture, generative design, digital fabrication and integrated techniques.

Johnson’s journey into architecture was unconventional and serendipitous. “It wasn’t particularly planned.” Initially, he did not set out to become an architect, but a high school aptitude test pointed him in that direction. After completing his studies, Johnson began his career working on large-scale projects, such as airport designs, which, although technically challenging, left him searching for more meaningful engagement with his work. Disillusioned with the slow pace and bureaucratic nature of these projects, Johnson pursued further education at the Architectural Association’s Design Research Lab in London. “It did change my trajectory quite a lot in terms of getting really interested in technology and how it impacts the design process, but also who can be involved and how we can involve more people in that digital space.”

Upon joining the University of Calgary, Johnson was tasked with “naturalizing” digital design into the architectural curriculum. “I think probably the intention behind that request was different than what we did.” Rather than treating digital tools as isolated or specialized components, Johnson worked to embed them throughout the entire educational experience, making digital literacy an integral part of architectural training. This approach has since become the trajectory for SAPL, setting it apart from other architecture programs in Canada and positioning it at the forefront of digital innovation in the field. On of the key aspects of his current role is learning how to promote this distinguishing characteristic of the program. His efforts in this area are not just about embracing technology for its own sake, but also about enhancing the creative process and making design more accessible to a wider audience. He believes that digital tools should empower students to explore their own ideas, experiment with different approaches, and ultimately, produce work that is both innovative and culturally relevant. This philosophy is evident in the way SAPL’s curriculum encourages students to engage with technology not just as users, but as creators, capable of shaping the tools and processes they work with.

A central theme in Johnson’s work is the integration of digital innovation with socially and culturally relevant projects. He is committed to using design to address contemporary issues and improve public spaces, ensuring that the benefits of architectural innovation are accessible to a wider audience. One of Johnson’s most significant achievements in this area was securing an SSHRC Insight Grant under Research and Creation. “We situated this idea of digital design and community engagement within the grant.” The concept garnered enough funding to expand the capacity of the Laboratory for Integrative Design at the university. Equipped with advanced fabrication tools, including robotic arms, this lab has become a hub for research and development, attracting faculty and student collaboration and training over 30 research assistants who have gone on to contribute to leading architecture firms around the world.

Another key project that highlights Johnson’s commitment to socially engaged design is his collaboration with the Urban Alliance on the redesign of an LRT platform in Calgary. “It’s around this idea of social engagement and to the extent that design can participate in conversations about social justice.” The project, which received $1.2 million in funding, aimed to enhance safety for homeless populations and other vulnerable groups using the platform. They were trying to find “a way forward that acknowledges lots of different people are using the platform, and how do we keep people safe while still maintaining a public-facing, aesthetically pleasing amenity for the city.” Johnson’s approach to this project was holistic, involving a diverse group of stakeholders, including a local fabricator, a Métis artist, and a fellow faculty member. The project exemplifies Johnson’s belief that design can and should play a role in addressing societal challenges, creating spaces that are not only functional but also inclusive and welcoming. His method is to find projects that “engage the community generally and then try and find ways to, whether stated or not within the project, actually use our stakeholder engagement process to get as many voices as possible into the projects, and then do the thing that we’re good at, which is designing things.”

One of the design challenges his work addresses is the complexities of public art. “There’s a kind of expectation around art built from the public and people paying for art, around it saying something or communicating something very specific.” Johnson’s approach to this challenge is both innovative and practical. “We’ve tried to reframe some of what we’re doing around this idea of aesthetic infrastructure. Instead of seeing it as an art practice, which can be highly personalised, thinking of it as a contribution to the infrastructure of the city and its aesthetics.” By framing public art as infrastructure, Johnson believes that more funding can be secured, ensuring that aesthetic considerations are given the same priority as practical ones. “But it also resituates the value of the design within the core value of a city, as opposed to being an add-on, a luxury.” This approach is not only about enhancing the visual appeal of urban spaces but also about making those spaces more meaningful and engaging for the people who use them.

Despite his successes, Johnson is forthright about the challenges faced by academics, especially the ambiguity within the design research culture. “I think one of the challenges around the way we talk about research in academic institutions is that we limit who can participate. I am not trained as a ‘researcher’ but as a designer who explores design critically.”  He sees most of his work as applied research, where there are challenges to evaluating the public impacts. “We’re looking for ways to hand that part of the research off the people who are actually good at doing that research... Trying to find ways for those feedback loops to come back into what we’re doing, I think, is one of the future challenges that we’re looking at.”

Looking forward, Johnson hopes to find ways of mobilizing the innovations and novel ideas that architectural education excels at generating but struggles to effectively implement. As a first step, he is looks to challenge administrative and regulatory barriers that stifle attempts at meaningful action. “I think maybe the craziest idea is that we really have to start reorienting our posture as a research institution towards doing some of the things we’re saying.” He is critical of the current emphasis on risk mitigation within academic and governmental institutions, which he believes often leads to excessive bureaucracy and slows down the progress of meaningful projects, “without actually measuring the likelihood of any of those risks manifesting”, or their relative impact. Johnson advocates for a more balanced approach to risk management, one that also considers the risks of inaction, particularly when it comes to addressing pressing social issues. For example, when he weighs the risks and costs of leaving people unhoused against the risks and costs of designing and prototyping innovative proposals for dealing with the issue, he feels that the money would be better spent producing these products to deploy, study and iterate. “The risk of doing nothing in those cases is way higher than the risk created by the project.” This has been growing into a central concern for him. “If I were to think of what a grand challenge would be, it would be to actually apply the not insubstantial resources of the university that are being diverted into risk management to actually funding responses to what are increasingly emergency situations.” He sees immense potential in this strategy to tackle real-world problems, advocating for a shift in institutional priorities to support more applied research that directly benefits communities.

Jason Johnson’s work at SAPL reflects a deep commitment to integrating digital innovation into community-based design and architectural education. By embedding digital tools into the curriculum and using design to address social issues, Johnson is helping to shape a new generation of architects who are not only technically skilled but also socially conscious and innovative. As he continues to challenge institutional barriers and push the boundaries of what architecture education and research can achieve, Johnson remains dedicated to fostering a more inclusive, creative, and socially responsible approach to design.

Jason S. Johnson CV

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