Biography
Luigi Ferrara, Dean, Centre for Arts, Design and Information Technology, leads program development, partnerships and innovation centres that provide students with challenging and exciting real-world learning opportunities and position George Brown College as a key player on the global stage.
Since joining the college in 2002, Ferrara has overseen a significant expansion of programs at the School of Design, the School of Fashion and Jewellery, the School of Computer Technology and the School of Media and Performing Arts. He has transformed the schools, some of which have been rated in the top 5 in Canada and top 100 in the world. CEO Magazine listed the School of Fashion and Jewellery among its top 100 fashion schools in the world (2020); Azure Magazine listed the Institute without Boundaries among the top four schools for urban design (2012); and Business Week listed the School of Design as one of its top 60 best design institutes in the world (2007).
Luigi has also served as the Director of the Institute Without Boundaries, an academic program and studio aimed at solving real-world problems through design research and strategy with goals of social, ecological and economic innovation. This has now been transformed into the Brookfield Sustainability Institute (BSI).
In 2022, Luigi was named the inaugural Chair and CEO of the Brookfield Sustainability Institute, a centre of excellence that will be housed at Limberlost Place, George Brown College’s net-zero carbon emissions mass-timber building that is set to open at Waterfront Campus in 2024. The Institute will focus on aligning the processes of digital transformation and sustainability for the benefit of communities everywhere, becoming a beacon for “smart sustainability.”
As George Brown continues to expand its physical footprint and infrastructure, Luigi advises the college senior management team on academic space planning.
Luigi has devoted his career to advocating and practicing interdisciplinary design both in Canada and internationally, working on the relationship between architecture, urban design, sustainability, digital transformation, strategy, and design thinking. He continues to take on professional design projects every year and lends his expertise to several boards and associations while showcasing his talent and knowledge through exhibitions, publications, and lectures.
Luigi holds a BA in Architecture from the University of Toronto. He is a former president and a current senator of the World Design Organization (formerly the International Council of the Societies of Industrial Design) and a registered architect with seal.
