OVERVIEW
Located in Halifax, Dalhousie University provides a scenic environment and an exciting architectural milieu for its students. Many of Nova Scotia’s most iconic structures were designed by Brian MacKay Lyons, who taught at the School of Architecture – and pioneered its reputation for critical regionalist architecture – before retiring from teaching in 2020. One of the School’s alumni, Omar Gandhi, is adding to the character of the city and of the province with his own interventions, including the new walkway at Peggy’s Cove. The school itself has contributed to the landscape, through the lamella grid-shell structures innovated in its Coastal Studio.
Dalhousie offers a tiered program in three parts: years one to two – courses in any subject(s), at any university; years three to four – Bachelor of Environmental Design Studies (BEDS) at Dalhousie; and years five to six – Master of Architecture (MArch) at Dalhousie. The MArch program enables students to pursue specializations, culminating in a graduate design thesis in their last year, and includes two co-op work terms in an architectural office: 12 weeks in the undergrad program and 24 weeks in the graduate program. Both can be completed anywhere in the world, allowing students to have valuable experiences and make international connections.
NOTABLE ALUMNI
Omar Gandhi, Bryan Langlands, Chris Crawford
NOTABLE FACULTY
Diogo Burnay, Susan Fitzgerald, Talbot Sweetapple, Niall Savage