May 10, 2017

John Brown appointed interim dean, Faculty of Environmental Design

A message from Provost and Vice-President (Academic) Dru Marshall
John Brown has been appointed interim dean, Faculty of Environmental Design, effective immediately. Brown is a professor in the Faculty of Environmental Design and previously served as associate dean, Research and International.

John Brown has been appointed interim dean, Faculty of Environmental Design.

I am pleased to announce that John Brown has been appointed interim dean, Faculty of Environmental Design, effective immediately. He has agreed to serve in this important transitional role until June 30, 2018, or until such time as a new dean is in place.

Brown is a professor in the Faculty of Environmental Design and previously served as associate dean, Research and International. He is a registered architect and fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC). Brown is a founding principal of the architectural firm Housebrand, and a co-founder of Slow Home, an international movement advocating for increased design quality in North America’s housing market. He is currently serving as second-vice president of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada and the Alberta/NWT representative on the Board of Directors.

Brown is a recognized authority on residential practice and new models of architectural practice. In 2003, he received the RAIC Award of Excellence for Innovation for his development of Housebrand, a vertically integrated practice that combines residential architecture, construction, interior design, and real estate services into a one-stop shop for home buyers looking for a reasonably priced, well-designed, and sustainable place to live. He is the recipient of two Prairie Design Awards, and in 2009 he received a Leadership Award from Residential Architect Magazine in recognition of his work to increase public awareness about the value of design.

Brown is a co-founder of the makeCalgary initiative, a University of Calgary community-engaged scholarship platform that connects researchers and students from across the university into a broad range of community-based projects and outreach activities. As part of this commitment, he is the co-chair of the International Walk21 Conference, which will be held in Calgary in September 2017.

An advisory search committee for a new dean of the Faculty of Environmental Design will be struck in the coming weeks to commence the search early in the fall semester.

Please join me in thanking John for assuming this leadership role during this time. 

Dru Marshall
Provost and Vice-President (Academic)