About
Designing the future of the built environment and changing the world from the heart of the city
Our cities and planet need bold, new thinking. The future of our communities and the changing climate require that we reimagine the built environment so it’s ready for tomorrow, not just yesterday. That’s why we're here, in downtown Calgary, in the midst of the challenge.
Being embedded downtown means educating through real-life projects and industry collaboration. It means creating disruptive, impact-focused design strategies and social innovations to help make the world more resilient, equitable, vibrant, and healthy. Our distinctly different design school experience combines a rich, transdisciplinary design philosophy with an entrepreneurial mindset. Through our work, we are expanding what it means to be a designer, and we are developing graduates who will be catalysts for positive change and shape the built environment for people and for the good of the planet.
We believe in experiential work integrated learning. Our students work with researchers and industry professionals on real-life projects in design studio courses, hands-on building projects and community planning studios. By connecting directly with communities, student work can actually have immediate impact.
John Brown
Dean, School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape
Programs
We offer diverse educational journeys tailored to different needs and career trajectories: undergraduate programs with immersive, hands-on experiences; professional graduate programs that prepare licensed architects, urban planners, and landscape architects; and thesis-based research degrees at the master’s and doctoral levels, that push the boundaries of innovation in the built environment. Our Master of Architecture and Master of Landscape Architecture degrees are the only accredited degree programs for these professions in Alberta.
Community
We are deeply connected to our community, bringing local practitioners and global experts into the classroom for real-world learning experiences. Our researchers collaborate with the City of Calgary, industry stakeholders, civil society groups, and the public on projects that are redefining the future of city building. Through practitioner-led Block Week courses, work integrated studios, and study abroad programs, we immerse students in diverse design contexts that broaden their understanding of professional practice.
Facilities
Downtown is our home, our classroom and our research lab. After eight years of our school being split across an on-campus and downtown location, in January 2026, we will be moving into an award-winning highrise as part of the City of Calgary’s office tower conversion program. Our new location at 801 7 Ave SW embodies and extends our mission to redesign cities through community-embedded, transdisciplinary learning in the heart of downtown.
Our history
Established in 1971, our school was founded on a radical ideological premise of interdisciplinary cross-scalar environmental design which gave the faculty its original name and shaped its approach to teaching and research.
Our strengths
From our cutting-edge robotic fabrication technologies and entrepreneurial mindset to our expertise in community-based collaborative co-design and focus on real-world challenges, our approach equips graduates with the skills required to create meaningful change.
Climate action
Creating interdisciplinary studios focused on climate initiatives and using our buildings and surroundings as living labs for sustainable solutions.
Social justice
Creating a community hub to foster new and existing partnerships and diversifying our programs to be more inclusive and equitable.
Community impact
Developing community-engaged work integrated learning opportunities and sustained partnerships with local organizations.
Value-informed innovation
Focusing on innovations in applied research and teaching to serve real community needs.
Support the future of city building
Join our community of supporters and make an immediate impact by enabling disruptive solutions to tomorrow's city building, sparking innovative research, and supporting public lectures that advance important conversations about the future of our cities.
