Susan Ross

Biography

I am a licensed architect, born in Montreal and a graduate of McGill University and Université de Montréal. My passion for cities, and their natural/cultural histories took me to Berlin for four years in the 1990s. Since 2002 I have been based in Ottawa, where some of my ancestors settled in the 1830s. I bring to my teaching and research over twenty years of practice outside the university, and a strong belief in public education and community engagement. As a fluent speaker of English, French and German, I am delighted to work with students or collaborate with others in any of these languages. I have worked as a registered architect in the private sector, held teaching and research positions in Canadian universities, and both volunteered and been employed by local, national and international heritage organizations. In my most recent work prior to coming to Carleton I was senior conservation architect in the federal government.

Research Interest

Waste Values and Heritage Places: This work has been presented to the Society for the Study of Architecture in Canada, the National Trust for Canada and the Association for Critical Heritage Studies. Next stages are currently in definition, following receipt of a related FASS Junior Research Award in 2016. M.A. student Alison Creba is currently completing an internship on related research through the CIMS-based New Paradigms – New Tools grant. Greening Urban Heritage Districts: A related presentation was made at the annual conference of the Association for Preservation Technology in Quebec City in October 2014. A follow up publication with draft Guidelines for the Conservation of Trees in Heritage Conservation Districts was published in a special issue of APT Bulletin on Cultural Landscapes dedicated to Susan Buggey. Conserving Modest/Moderne Apartment Buildings: Building on inventory work with students in CDNS 5402 W 2015, this research looks at the specific heritage values, conservation issues and opportunities of smaller purpose-built residential blocks in Ottawa and other Canadian cities. A chapter about 1930s apartment buildings across Canada is in the works.