John Brown appointed dean, Faculty of Environmental Design

I am pleased to announce that Dr. John Brown has been appointed dean, Faculty of Environmental Design, effective March 1, 2018 until June 30, 2023, for a renewable five-year term.

Brown has been an academic staff member in the Faculty of Environmental Design for more than 30 years and has served as interim dean since May 2017, and previously 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 design 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 first-vice president of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada.

“I am proud to be named dean of this growing faculty, one that brings bold thinking to explore innovation in architecture, landscape architecture and planning,” says Brown. “The Faculty of Environmental Design is a diverse group that includes award-winning teachers, practitioners, and researchers, and I look forward to what we will accomplish in the coming years.”

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 was the co-chair of the International Walk21 Conference, which was held in Calgary in September 2017.

The Advisory Search Committee, which represents a broad stakeholder group, was struck in 2017 and conducted an extensive search for the right candidate. Special thanks to all members of the committee, which included: Byron Miller (vice-president, research designate), Catherine Hamel (tenured academic staff), Jason Johnson (tenured academic staff), Bev Sandalack (tenured academic staff), Mary-Ellen Tyler (tenured academic staff), John Baker (TUCFA representative), Bill Rosehart (decanal representative), Tracy Beauregard (MaPS representative), Elsa-Lee Alho (AUPE representative), Branden Cave (SU representative), Willem Klumpenhouwer (GSA representative), Brian Rusted (GFC representative), Gopal Achari (GFC representative), and Joanne Cuthbertson (community representative).

Please join me in congratulating John on his new role. 

Dru Marshall
Provost and Vice-President (Academic)