Jurij Leshchyshyn

Look up “architecture” in the dictionary and you are likely to find this definition: The art or practice of designing and building structures. For Jurij Leshchyshyn, however, this doesn’t go quite far enough. “Architecture can do so much more,” he says. “We shouldn’t limit ourselves.”

Leshchyshyn views architecture as the intellectual structure behind everything—an idea that he speaks to at international conferences and with his students. More than designing the built environment, he believes that architects should be involved in other fields, specifically public policy roles that influence government, the economy, and society at large, all of which, Leshchyshyn says, could benefit from an architectural perspective.

This perspective includes a future-thinking approach, technical expertise, concern for the environment and the people who live within it, as well as the ability to grapple with complexity. While an architect’s aptitude for design remains essential, it is the pivot in its application that intrigues and inspires Leshchyshyn. “Public policy is the most powerful form of design there is.”

His interest in the effects of underlying forces that influence architecture and the built environment led to an investigation of architecture and public policy. His paper “Architecture and Public Policy”, published in The International Journal of the Constructed Environment 1 (4): 165-174, 2012, was awarded the journal’s International Award for Excellence.

From December 2014 to July 2017, Leshchyshyn fulfilled the role of Interim Chair of the Architectural Science Department. Further to ongoing responsibilities, he oversaw the renovation of first and second year studios; established a building science laboratory with a dedicated full-time technician; updated the department’s staff complement and designations; and initiated the publication of a regular newsletter. He also led and coordinated the compilation of the Department’s Strategic Academic Plan, a Periodic Program Review for the Bachelor of Architectural Science program, and a 2015 Application to the University for major alterations and renovations to the Architecture Building.

Throughout his career at Ryerson/TMU, Jurij Leshchyshyn has been involved in curriculum development, as well as in coordinating and participating in undergraduate design studios across all years. He has taught courses involving building science, systems, site planning, and graphics, and has supervised undergraduate and graduate student theses. He has served on the University’s Senate and on the Academic Governance and Priorities Committee contributing to the crafting of the University’s first Statement on the Freedom of Speech.