Meet our Faculty

Sylvia Van Rooyen - Program Director - Art and Design

Currently residing in Vancouver, Sylvia van Rooyen is a Canadian-Polish designer who was born in South Africa. She holds a B.Sc. Int. Architecture and a Baccalaures Honores in Int. Architecture from the University of Pretoria, as well as a Master of Arts in Design, with a specialization in Interior Design from the University of Johannesburg.

With almost 20 years of experience in the interior design field, she presently serves as the Program Director for the Interior Design programs at LaSalle College Vancouver in Canada. In this role, she is responsible for both the long-term strategic planning and daily operations of the department. She is a member of several professional organizations, including DDA, IDC, IDEC, IIDA, NEWH, and NKBA, and has taught in Africa and North America. She also has experience managing various applied arts programs, including Architecture Design and Technology, Interior Design, Fashion Design, and Fashion Marketing programs.

Prior to her transition to teaching in 2013, Sylvia worked in the building industry's interior design and architectural sectors for 10 years, gaining valuable experience from hotel, commercial, and residential projects. She is proficient in concept design, detail design, technical drawing, project administration, and office administration.

Sylvia has developed and delivered a variety of interior design courses at both diploma and degree levels, including Building Construction I and II, Architectural Drafting, Colour and Design, Interior Design I and II (Studio), Digital Rendering and Modelling I (SketchUp), Architectural Working Drawings, and Interior Design Portfolio. Her passion for teaching and her dedication to the upliftment of the interior design profession are evident in her work. She excels in creating a positive and inclusive working environment, improving course quality through curriculum development, and encouraging an interdisciplinary teaching approach.

Interests and specialties: Curriculum design, healthcare design, heritage design, and retail design.