This new harbour front campus for the ‘dirty arts’ at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design is a 300’ long renovation and addition to a portion of a half mile long former industrial warehouse.  The design attempts to hold on to the promise of the big shed, with its flexible, raw studio loft spaces.

One enters through a freestanding black zinc lantern-like loggia addition which contains a ground floor exhibition gallery, with café and exhibition space above.  This strategy represents an act of will and social agency by providing community gathering places which were not part of either the client’s space program or budget.  The large studios and shops overlook Halifax Harbour through a 3 storey, 300’ long window, exhibiting the mechanical systems, which consumed two-thirds of the construction budget.