McLeod Architects

John McLeod is the founding principal of McLeod Architects—a design firm dedicated to practice, teaching, and community engagement—and an associate professor of architecture at Middlebury. John received an undergraduate degree in English from the University of Virginia, and a Master of Architecture degree from Virginia Tech. He interned at Studio Architetto Hunziker in Ticino, Switzerland, then went on to practice with Rogers Marvel Architects in New York City. There, as an associate, he worked primarily on arts and cultural projects, including the Pratt Institute School of Art & Design; the Dartmouth College Arts Master Plan; the University of Georgia School of Art; the SoHo Branch of the New York Public Library; and the South Fork Natural History Museum on Long Island.

In 2004, John relocated to Vermont, to teach and start his own practice. At Middlebury, John teaches a variety of design studios, including the courses in which students design the houses that are built by Habitat for Humanity of Addison County. His firm, McLeod Architects, is one of those rare small practices that works at a variety of scales and project types, ranging from residential to commercial and institutional work. Since 2012, the firm has run a summer workshop for students, designing and building projects in rural communities in northern New England. The work of McLeod Architects has been featured in a variety of publications, and recognized with numerous design awards. In 2020, the premier architectural journal, Architectural Record, named the firm to its annual Design Vanguard: “ten emerging practices from around the globe…at the forefront of design, led by architects to watch.” Previous recipients of this award include Jeanne Gang, Bjarke Ingels, and Pritzker Prize winner Alejandro Aravena. John has lectured and critiqued at architecture schools around the U.S. and abroad, and has served as a director and president of the American Institute of Architects Vermont Chapter.

In his presentation, John will discuss three examples from his practice and teaching that demonstrate his belief in architecture’s ability to serve anyone and anywhere: the recent renovation of Johnson Memorial Building; the Architectural Studies/Habitat for Humanity Housing Design program at Middlebury; and “Design Assembly”—his firm’s summer community design-build program. The projects he will present range in scale from small to large, and in duration from eight days to several years. Whether designed and built by students or professionals, all of the projects demonstrate an attempt at community engagement through the process and product of architecture.