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David Theodore

 

  • 2009 Trudeau Scholar

    david.theodore@trudeaufoundation.net

    Current Research

    Ph.D. Architecture and Urban Planning, Harvard University

    Building Health: Hospital Environments as Medical Technology

    Profile

    David Theodore is fascinated by the intersecting histories of architecture, medicine, and technology. He argues that both the environments we live in and the basic need for good health are fundamental to our humanitarian aspirations. He likes to recount narratives about the intersecting disciplines of architecture and medicine, and not just their practitioners.

    David uses a material culture based interdisciplinary approach to history, as well as to mobilize the design of healthcare places in ways that go beyond scientific requirements. This method broadens the way Canadians think about buildings such as hospitals to include reflection on crucial cultural and social issues. “The betterment of the world is too important a task to leave it up to the people who want to better it,” he says. “Interdisciplinary approaches can help spread critical ideas about social reform to people whose practices aren’t always based in the promotion of human welfare.”

    David was among the winners of the National History Society's Pierre Berton Award for 2008. The prize was awarded to the entire team of researchers who contributed to the innovative teaching website, Great Unsolved Mysteries in Canadian History. He recently taught in Montreal in the School of Architecture, McGill University, as a research associate, and in the Department of Design, Concordia University. He is a mentor in the Health Care, Technology and Place CIHR training and research initiative at the University of Toronto. An active design journalist and critic, he serves as a regional correspondent for The Canadian Architect, a contributing editor at Azure, and a contributor to the Phaidon Atlas of 21st-Century World Architecture.

    Trudeau Foundation Themes

    Responsible Citizenship » 
    People and their Natural Environment » 


  • Current Residence

    Montreal, Quebec

    Languages

    English, French

    Degrees

    • Master of Arts in Architecture, McGill University
    • Bachelor of Sciences in Architecture, McGill University
    • Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in English, McGill University

    Current Research

    Building Health: Hospital Environments as Medical Technology

    David Theodore’s doctoral project seeks to understand the spatial, social, and environmental consequences of technological change in health care settings, building on Canada's commitment to universal health care and the role of medical facilities in promoting community identity. What is the social role and cultural impact of architecture for medicine? How does health care architecture sustain and promote health?

    Past Research

    • The New Architecture of Phase Change: Computer Assisted Ice Construction (SSHRC Research-Creation)
    • Towers of Power: Designing the Medical High-rise in Canada, 1922-30 (Associated Medical Services/Hannah/CIHR Grants in the History of Medicine)
    • Kids Ambient MRI (KAMRI) Suite Conversion (Philips Electronics Ind. Ltd.)
    • Great Canadian Mysteries in Canadian Culture: The Redpath Mansion Mystery (Canadian Culture Online (CCO) Partnerships Fund, Heritage Canada)
    • Wittgenstein and the page, post-Kundmanngasse (independent)

    Awards

    • Pierre Berton Award, National History Society
    • Canada Graduate Scholarship, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (doctorate)
    • Gerald Sheff Medal for Teaching Excellence, School of Architecture, McGill University
    • Governor General's Gold Medal, McGill University
    • ARCC / King Student Medal, Architectural Research Centers Consortium

    Social Engagement

    • Managing Editor, The Fifth Column: Canada's Student Journal of Architecture
    • Heritage consultant, “Women and Health Care—Commemorative Opportunities,” Canadian Heritage, Parks Canada

    Work Experience

    • Part-time Faculty, Department of Design and Computation Arts, Concordia University
    • College lecturer & adjunct professor, School of Architecture, McGill University
    • Research Assistant and Exhibition Coordinator, “Arthur Erickson: Critical Works”, Vancouver Art Gallery
    • Research Associate, “Medicine by Design”, School of Architecture, McGill University

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