Elise Shelley is an Associate Professor, Teaching Stream and the Director of the Master of Landscape Architecture Program at the Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design at the University of Toronto. She is also the Director of Landscape at the Toronto-based interdisciplinary firm gh3*. She a registered landscape architect with over 20 years experience in projects of all scales.
Elise’s background and training in both architecture and landscape enables a method of practice that focuses on the physical, experiential and functional connections between interior and exterior space. Elise’s award-winning professional work celebrates the interdisciplinary nature of urban places and integrates technical innovation, community outreach, and ecological resilience. Current projects include Warehouse Park in Edmonton and Olympic Plaza in Calgary, both collaborations between gh3* and CCxA.
Elise’s teaching methodology synergizes her professional experience with academic inquiry. Her commitment to teaching excellence is demonstrated through her synthetic suite of courses, which are central to the MLA curriculum and emphasize the imperative of technical understanding to achieve quality design. Elise’s academic efforts as a professor and an administrator transcend traditional educational boundaries, embedding a deep sense of cultural relevance, technical proficiency, and design creativity in her students. Her dedication to curriculum innovation and her continuous pursuit of academic and professional integration provides a rich, dynamic learning environment that prepares students for the multifaceted challenges of the modern landscape architecture field.
