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Faculty of Computer Science, Dalhousie University
Built : 1999 | Architect : Brian MacKay-Lyons Architecture Urban Design in association with Fowler, Bauld, and Mitchell Ltd.            

The program, required 85,000 SF distributed in five storeys on a 200' x 100' site along University Avenue. The scheme embodies an academic philosophy which views computer science as an enabler in a multi-disciplinary research view of the University. Therefore, the heart of the program is the research 'playground' or electronic loft space aimed at project-based learning. A 65' tall 'cybercafe' is a social forum in the building aimed at the informal exchange of ideas. An electronic amphitheatre facilitates intellectual exchange within a larger community.

Connected to the goal of accessibility to other academic disciplines, industry, and the public, the building takes on a lantern-like character in order to suggest the work and technology inside. Playground / lab bays on two levels hover above a glazed classroom base with an industry-oriented penthouse above. The entrance from University Avenue, under folded zinc screens, connects to the atrium which contains the cafe. The zinc screens are draped off a poured concrete structural frame, wrapping around the three street frontages and the atrium at the rear to form a minimalist urban metal jacket.