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Behnaz Assadi

Assistant Professor Adjunct

Behnaz Assadi is a landscape designer and a founding partner at JA Architecture Studio. She is currently an Assistant Professor at the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design at the University of Toronto. 

Behnaz’s interest is in the unpredictability and open-ended-ness of landscape processes, large-scale interconnected ecological systems, and multi-scalar resilient design approaches that aim to mitigate the effect of climate change. Her work explores the agency of landscape architecture beyond disciplinary confines. Her current multi-disciplinary practice, professional experience at offices such as OMA, and her educational background provide her with a level of versatility and comfort in crossing traditional disciplinary boundaries to teach and practice in both landscape architecture and architecture. 

At JA, Behnaz situates the studio’s architectural interest in iconography, geometry, form, and tectonic pursuits within the broader context of landscape, ecology, and climate change. The studio has achieved a repertoire of built works, research projects, and award-winning competition entries. The latter includes Bauhaus Museum in Dessau (2015), Guggenheim in Helsinki (2015), Kaunas Concert Center (2017), four Canadian Architects Awards (2015, 2018, 2020 & 2021), and two Progressive Architecture Awards (2021 & 2022). Most recently, JA was named an Emerging Voice by The Architectural League of New York and a 2022 Design Vanguard by Architectural Record. JA’s work has been published widely and exhibited both nationally and internationally. 

Behnaz holds a Master of Landscape Architecture degree from the University of Toronto and a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the University of Tehran.

Behnaz's CV is available here. 

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