Jerry Hacker
Assistant Professor
A registered architect (OAA), Jerry Hacker is the founder of hACT, an ideas based critical practice employing research through design to investigate, situate and construct architecture as infrastructure. Prior to launching hACT, Jerry spent 13 years as a senior associate and design leader with the critically acclaimed firm MBAC exploring diverse architectural themes such as the city as verb and negotiable space. During his extended collaboration with MBAC the practice was recognized with over 30 national and international peer reviewed awards for design excellence.
While practicing, Jerry has developed a deep respect for the comprehensive and necessary interface between design, architectural technology, construction and environmental stewardship: A fertile ground where theory informs practice and practice informs theory. His experience weaving together design intention, building construction, and practice motivates his teaching philosophy in courses such as design studio, advanced building systems and structures, whereby he strives to help students learn to develop the capacity to craft highly poetic ideas and realize their comprehensive manifestation as one integrated body of knowledge and expertise.
Research
During course work with one of his architectural idols, Cedric Price, Jerry developed his passion for investigating spatial constructs that are frequently obsolete by the time they are designed. As cities evolve into mobile concentrates of people and habitation, there is a growing demand for responsive and evolutionary architectural forms. Under the exploratory guidance of temporary permanence, the design research seeks to re-interpret the role inhabitants play in creating cultural artefacts by situating their engagement and transformation of space over time as the central role of architects and architecture. Here architects are only one of many acts, and utilization, interaction and facilitation of events become the content of architecture. Resultant meaning unfolds and is infused through the user’s critical engagement with the architecture. The hope is to try and understand how to foster improbable and fluctuating forms that continually evolve under the influence of people and time.
Practice
Registered Architect, Ontario Association of Architects
Stay tuned for the upcoming launch of hACT, an ideas-based practice focused on research through design.
Past Practice: Associate, MBAC (The Marc Boutin Architectural Collaborative) 2005-2018
Education
Master of Architecture – University of Calgary, 2005
Bachelor of Environmental Design – University of Manitoba, 2002
Escola Superior d’Aquitectura de Catalunya – Barcelona, Spain
Recent Courses
ARCS 5105 – Gateway Studio
ARCC 5100 – Advanced Building Systems
ARCC 5097 – Building Technology 2 (Structures)
ARCS 5103 – Graduate Design Studio 2
ARCS 2105 – Undergraduate Architecture Studio