NSCAD Port Campus Among the Best Facilities in Visual Arts Education
(Oct. 18, 2006) - Designs for NSCAD 's Port Campus reveal a sleek, versatile and environmentally sound facility capable of supporting specialized equipment, enhancing its reputation as one of the best universities for the visual arts in North America.
"NSCAD already offers its students 24 hour access to the best student-studio spaces anywhere in the country," says NSCAD President, Prof. David B. Smith. "This new campus will enable us to continue to offer our students the highest quality education, in a supportive environment in the heart of a new and vibrant art and cultural district."
A dramatic symbol of NSCAD's significant presence in the community, the 70,000 square foot building will feature 18 foot ceilings, generous natural lighting, and will house many of the university's more industrial program components, including sculpture studios, a wood shop, metal shop, foundry, product design and ceramics studios. It will also contain a number of studio and classroom areas for graduate students and will act as the primary academic centre for first year students.
"NSCAD challenged us to create a strong identity for the university, yet with a timeless simplicity, befitting an institution which has a long, proud history," says Brian MacKay-Lyons, founder of MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects Limited, the firm that designed the new building. "For us as architects, this is an opportunity to make a cultural contribution to our home city."
Featuring generous hallways and elevators, the building is well suited to the specific needs of art, craft and design education, such as the easy transportation of bulk materials, equipment and works in progress. The ventilation system was also designed purposely for environments that house equipment to work with materials such as wood, plastics, stone, clay and metal. Finally, the building's open concept and fluid design will allow extraordinary flexibility in space allocation. Many of the internal walls will be mobile allowing for multiple small classroom areas to be converted into one large space suitable for major exhibitions or events.
Coupled with the building's modern design will be the arrival of new highly technical equipment, particularly in the areas of sculpture and ceramics. New Blauw high capacity gas and electric kilns will be installed that will accommodate both mass production of smaller ceramic items, or single large-scale items such as life-size human statues or similar sculptures.
Construction on the facility is progressing well. The harbour-side glass façade of the building is now complete, a third level mezzanine has been created, and a 20 foot extension on the building's western façade, to be enclosed in black zinc, is being erected.
The Halifax Port Authority says it is looking forward to the grand opening of the NSCAD campus in the spring of 2007. "We are delighted to welcome NSCAD to the Seaport," says Paul MacIsaac, Senior Vice President of the Halifax Port Authority. "NSCAD will enhance the vibrant arts and cultural community that exists here on the waterfront."
NSCAD University is Canada's premier university dedicated to advancing the visual arts through education, research and production. Part of Nova Scotia's cultural landscape since 1887, NSCAD has offered graduate and undergraduate degrees in fine and media arts, craft and design for more than 30 years. NSCAD alumni are among Canada's most highly regarded artists, gallery directors, designers, curators and art educators. Find out more at www.nscad.ca.
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For more information:
Suzanne Jordan
Communications Coordinator
NSCAD University
5163 Duke St.
Halifax, NS, B3J 3J6
Tel: 902 494 8244
sjordan@nscad.ca
www.nscad.ca
