Identity area
Type of entity
Authorized form of name
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
- NSTC Faculty of Architecture (1976-1980)
- TUNS Faculty of Architecture (1980-1997)
- Dalhousie University. Faculty of Architecture (1997-2001)
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
History
The Faculty of Architecture was established on 1 April 1997 with the merger of the Technical University of Nova Scotia (TUNS) and Dalhousie University. It was the outgrowth of the first school of architecture in Atlantic Canada, which opened at the Nova Scotia Technical College in 1961, sharing a building on Spring Garden Road with the Nova Scotia Museum of Science. During the 1960s the professional architecture program began, consisting of two years of engineering at one of seven Maritime universities, followed by four years at the School of Architecture, leading to a BArch degree. In 1969 the engineering prerequisite was changed to two years in any university subject.
In 1970 the School of Architecture took over the entire building and initiated the trimester system and co-op work term program. In 1973 the architecture portion of the professional program included a two-year pre-professional degree (later called Bachelor of Environmental Design Studies) and a two-year professional BArch degree. The BArch program was validated by the Commonwealth Association of Architects and a one-year, post-professional Master of Architecture program was offered. In 1976 the NSTC Faculty of Architecture was established, with the School of Architecture continuing as a constituent part of the Faculty. The main floor of the building was renovated, including the addition of a mezzanine for faculty offices. The Master of Urban and Rural Planning program was first offered in 1977. In 1978 the Department of Urban and Rural Planning was established within the Faculty of Architecture, becoming the School of Planning in 2001.
In the early 1980s, after the Nova Scotia Technical College had become the Technical University of Nova Scotia, the building's studio level was renovated and mezzanines were added. In the mid-1980s the professional program was transformed, leading to a two-year MArch (first professional) degree with a thesis component. The school began to participate in overseas activities with the International Laboratory for Architecture and Urban Design (ILAUD) and external adjuncts and examiners were appointed. In the late 1980s the Faculty opened a publishing department, Tuns Press, to produce architecture and planning publications. An arrangement with Apple Canada introduced an initial fleet of computers for student use. In 1989 a one-year, non-professional Master of Environmental Design Studies degree was offered.
In 1993, following an international design competition, the first phase of a new addition designed by Brian MacKay-Lyons was built in the rear courtyard of the existing building. In a second phase in 2002, upper floors for studios were added inside the addition. In 1994 the School's professional architecture program became the first in Canada to receive full accreditation from the Canadian Architectural Certification Board. Full accreditation was granted again in 1999, 2004, 2009 and 2015. In 1997, a decision by the Nova Scotia government to amalgamate universities led the three faculties of the Technical University of Nova Scotia (Architecture, Engineering, and Computer Science) to become part of Dalhousie University. In 2001 the Faculty of Architecture was renamed the Faculty of Architecture and Planning.
Places
Legal status
Functions, occupations and activities
The Faculty of Architecture and Planning oversees two schools that offer accredited programs in planning and architecture as well as graduate research in specialized areas, leading to the following degrees: Bachelor of Environmental Design Studies (BEDS); Master of Architecture (MArch); Bachelor of Community Design (BCED); Master of Planning (MPlan); Master of Planning Studies (MPS); and PhD.
The Faculty supports collaborative research and design networks worldwide; hosts lectures, conferences and exhibitions about the built environment and contemporary architectural and planning practice; and partners with government or industry on applied research projects.
Mandates/sources of authority
The basic statute relating to Dalhousie University is Chapter 24 of the Acts of 1863. This statute replaced earlier statutes, and the 1863 statute itself has been amended and supplemented several times over the years. The provisions of these various statutes provide for the establishment and regulation of the university, the membership of the Board of Governors and its rights and powers, the authority of senate for the internal regulation of the university (subject to the approval of the board), and various other matters.
The formal agreement that preceded the creation of the Faculty of Architecture (and later Architecture and Planning) is the Dalhousie–Technical University Amalgamation Act. 1996, c. 24, s. 1.