Gillian is a Partner at GEC and a registered architect in Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan. She holds both her undergraduate and Master of Architecture degrees from the University of Calgary, where she first stepped into the world of design through a foundational architecture stream. She is also a Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification Professional, a designation that reflects her growing commitment to inclusive and accessible design.
Gillian began her career at GEC as a summer student over 20 years ago. In the decades following, Gillian has focused on education and recreation projects, especially in post-secondary environments where athletics, health, and learning often intersect. Her work has taken her across Alberta and into interior BC and Saskatchewan. No matter the location or scale, she brings the same level of rigour, design thinking, and care to each project.
For Gillian, architecture is deeply personal. Born and raised in central Alberta, Gillian feels truly connected to creating projects for the communities she grew up around. What fuels her is the chance to engage with passionate stakeholders and client groups. This mindset has led to long-standing client relationships and meaningful community impact—like the Banff Elementary School, where teachers, students, and town staff all came together to celebrate the opening of a shared space.
Gillian leads with curiosity, beginning each project from first principles: What do users need? How will the space function? In the last several years, she’s become increasingly focused on accessibility, informed by work with clients like Vecova and a more holistic understanding of inclusive environments.
Her colleagues describe her as calm under pressure, open and intuitive with clients, and a mentor who’s deeply invested in supporting the next generation of GEC professionals.
Outside of work, Gillian can be found at a baseball diamond or soccer pitch most evenings, cheering on her daughters. She is an avid and lifelong traveller, with experiences that inspire her architectural practice. She now shares this passion with her two daughters and husband through trips in Italy, Spain and France in recent years. For Gillian, design is ultimately about connection—between people, spaces, and communities.