Andrea Vorstermans-Zado

BFA, M.Arch., LEED AP, Registered Educator ARIDO, Professor and Program Coordinator
Professor and Program Coordinator, Honours Bachelor of Interior Design

Andrea began her career in custom residential design before moving into corporate and institutional projects with a particular focus on educational environments. She has experience as a project architect working through programming, schematic design, design development, and construction administration. In addition, she has worked as a draftsperson responsible for producing construction documentation, as well as contributing to proposal development. Her past project experience includes the University of Calgary’s large animal surgical suite, St. Anthony’s School in Drumheller, and the request for proposal (RFP) package for Calgary’s Pumphouse Theatre.

Andrea brings her professional credentials, as a registered interior designer with ARIDO and as a LEED-accredited professional, directly into her teaching, where they inform both her perspective and her commitment to sustainable and responsible design.

As an educator, Andrea focuses on expanding students’ understanding of design by encouraging inter- and trans-disciplinary thinking. She guides students to consider projects holistically and to collaborate across design fields to achieve more innovative and integrated outcomes. Her coursework emphasizes real-world application while pushing for extended creative exploration and out-of-the-box problem-solving. Students are encouraged to share their own insights and experiences, deepening not only their understanding of design and the industry, but also their awareness of themselves, their peers, and ultimately the clients they will serve.

Andrea maintains a strong interest in ongoing professional development, engaging in topics such as Passivhaus education and collaborative research that supports both student learning and advancements in industry design processes.