It is with deep sadness that I write this post to honour the life and career of Gregory Woods, an illustrious figure in the Canadian architecture and design community.

Gregory Woods, most notably recognized as the lead project architect with Alsop Architects for the Sharp Centre for Design at the Ontario College of Art & Design, was a friend, mentor, colleague and professor to many.

As an architect working in Canada, the United States, the Middle East and Europe, Greg shared his love of architecture as a part-time faculty member at the Ryerson School of Interior Design teaching Design and Art History. Further, Greg was a guest lecturer at the Ontario College of Art & Design, York University, the University of Toronto and The Bartlett at UCL.

Greg, principal at Gregory Woods Associates, had a notable career including the firms of Architectonics, Robbie Sane, Robbie / Young and Wright, Alsop, Alsop at RMJM and most recently as a design consultant to ZAS/Taylor Smyth.

I was fortunate to be one of Greg’s students at the Ryerson School of Interior Design. Sharing his unbridled enthusiasm for the creative process, and his limitless passion for design, Greg was an inspiration. He always pushed boundaries and challenged us to examine different perspectives to cultivate the best solutions.

Gregory’s passing is a great loss to all of those who were fortunate enough to have known, worked and learned from him and he will be deeply missed by all.

Sharp Centre for Design at OCADU

Written by Spencer Robert Jeffries
Student of Interior Design – Ryerson University