Rolling out the blueprints for a Sudbury school of architecture.

AuthorStewart, Nick
PositionSPECIAL REPORT: TRAINING & EDUCATION

Following the arrival of a school of a medicine and a soon-to-be-constructed school of education, Sudbury's Laurentian University is hoping to host the first new school of architecture built in Canada in 40 years.

"Canada needs some more schools of architecture because there's a massive demand for architects and not nearly enough places to help fill the supply," says Dr. Derek Wilkinson, associate professor, Department of Sociology, and director of the Institute of Northern Ontario Research and Development (INORD).

"We have a great opportunity to help fill that demand right here in Sudbury."

Although the discussion is still in an early preliminary phase, Wilkinson has been consulting with officials from Waterloo's own school of architecture, which recently relocated to a new facility in downtown Cambridge, 35 kilometres away. The school regularly sees 1,700 applications for 68 slots.

This separation from the main campus and its location in the heart of a smaller city is a good analogy for Laurentian's hopes, Wilkinson says. As there would be no room for the proposed facility on campus, the school would have to be built in Sudbury's downtown core, though no site has yet been selected.

Such a facility would require a unique focus in order to prove attractive to prospective students, he says. A focus on environmentally-friendly design and use of northern resources, such as boreal wood, is currently being considered for the proposed institution. This approach would also assist the many small northern communities negatively impacted by the forestry industry by making use of their resources, he says.

"The project seems surprisingly realistic," says Rick Haldenby, director, University of Waterloo School of Architecture. "I think the present situation at Laurentian University and Sudbury is very promising."

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Having visited Sudbury in early February at INORD's request, Haldenby spoke with various local groups and found that the city to be particularly well-suited for a school of architecture, despite the relatively small local population.

While most Canadian schools of architecture are typically located in urban centres with a population of at least 500,000, a "green" focus would make the project viable in Sudbury, Haldenby says.

"You've got the right mix of people up there, and the issue of...

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