David T Fortin

David Fortin is a registered architect and Professor at the University of Waterloo. He has taught architectural history, theory, and design in the UK, USA, and Canada and leads a small design practice primarily working with First Nations and Métis communities across the country. In 2018 he became the first person of Indigenous heritage to direct a school of architecture in Canada, and he is the only person to twice co-curate Canada’s official entry to the Venice Biennale (2018, 2023).

David’s research investigates the intersections between Indigenous knowledge, design practice, and speculative thinking, while his current teaching focuses on what reconciliation means for design moving forward. Born and raised in the Canadian prairies, David is a citizen of the Métis Nation of Ontario.