Block Week Program
Our program of one-week intensive electives courses allows you to tailor your education to your interests.
Block week courses allow students to work with prominent practitioners and educators, architects, planners and landscape architects, from around the world in an intensive study. These block courses are a vital and essential aspect of the professional graduate programs. The one-week block course was pioneered by our faculty several decades ago, and they continue to provide a special opportunity for intensive courses (typically electives).
Global leaders in design supplement the learning experience through one-day, one-week and semester-long terms. Students have had the opportunity to work directly with guests such as Marc Fornes (THEVERYMANY), Koen van Velsen, Chris Sharples (SHoP Architects) and Dr. Jane Rendall from the Barlett School of Architecture.
Sample Block Week Offerings
March 2020 - Students working in the Digital Fabrication Lab, City Building Design Lab
Industrial Landscapes. MASS TIMBER block week, 2020
2019 block week exhibition
Led by Lisa Landrum and Kris Kelly-Frere, this 2020 block week was titled “Arch Agency: The Future of Architecture and Human Thriving”.
Arch Agency Block Week - Group Film - March 2020
Devised in conjunction with the Canadian Architecture Forums on Education, and the CAFÉ forum held at the City Building Design Lab on March 12, 2020, the Arch Agency block week course at the University of Calgary speculated on the future of architecture and architectural agency through experimental play, social innovation, ethnographic adventure, videography, mise-en-scène, performance and storytelling.
This video installation takes inspiration from the 2015 Manifesto project by artist Julian Rosefeldt. Thank you to guest lecturers Kris Kelly-Frere and Lisa Landrum for leading students through the creation of adapted, exemplary manifestos of the last century, that influence public perception of architectural potential.
Arch Agency Block Week - Group Film - March 2020
Set up for BLOCKWEEK 2020 exhibition
Enrichment Lectureships
Three enrichment lectureships are designed for students in the Master of Architecture program. They are offered every year during the March block week. Architecture students must complete at least one lectureship as part of their degree requirements.
March 2020 - Olon Dotson block week course
Gillmor Visiting Lectureship
The Douglas Gillmor Visiting Lectureship invites a prominent historian or theoretician to give a series of advanced seminars in architectural history and/or theory. It was established to recognize the contributions of Emeritus Professor Douglas Gillmor, the founding Director of the Architecture Program. The recipient of the lectureship also delivers a public lecture.
This course is only available to students in the Architecture Program, and by special permission of the course manager. The course may be repeated for elective credit.
Previous Gillmor Lecturers:
2020 Olon Dotson
2019 Dora-Epstein Jones
2017 Clare Lyster, Chicago
2016 Liam Young, Tomorrow's Thoughts Today
2015 Dr. David Gissen, California College of the Arts
2014 Dr. Mary McLeod, Columbia University
2013 Dr. Vittoria De Palma, University of Southern California
2012 Dr. Shelley Hornstein, York University
2011 Dr. Jane Rendell, Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London
2010 Dr. Angela Piccini, Bristol University
2009 Dr. Adrian Parr, University of Cincinnati
2008 Dr. Karen Till, Virginia Tech
2007 Dr. Setha Low, CUNY Graduate School
Somerville Visiting Leadership
The William Lyon Somerville Visiting Lectureship, established in 1992, invites a prominent architect, academic, or critic to direct a design charrette with a group of students. It was established by an endowment given to the University of Calgary by the late Mrs. A.G. Burton of Calgary in memory of her father. William Lyon Somerville, ARCA, FRAIC, FRIBA, was a distinguished Toronto architect. He had a long, energetic, and successful career based in Toronto, practicing for a substantial period under the well-known firm name Somerville, McMurrich and Oxley.
The gift was matched by the University to create a fund for the maintenance of an annual visiting distinguished lectureship program in architecture, within the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape. The recipient of the lectureship also delivers a public lecture.
Previous recipients:
2020 Chris Cornelius
2019 Florian Idenburg
2018 Grace La, Boston
2017 Mauricio Pezo & Sofia von Ellrichshausen, Chile
2016 Chris Sharples, New York City
2015 Rick Joy, Tuscon
2014 Scott Marble, New York City
2013 Brigette Shim, Toronto
2012 Michael Weinstock, London, UK
2011 Adam Caruso, London, UK
2010 Mark Smout, London, UK
2009 Hrvoje Njiric, Zagreb, Croatia
2008 Koen van Velsen, Hilversum, Netherlands
March 2020 - Chris Cornelius block week course
2014 Taylor exhibit
Taylor Visiting Lectureship
The more-recently established Dale Taylor Visiting Lectureship is an intensive one-week design workshop that focuses on digital fabrication, technology, or building science. It is named to honour Dale Taylor, FRAIC, a past Director of the Master of Architecture degree program, and Professor Emeritus. The Taylor Lectureship celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2018 with the TaylorX Symposium. Read about the 2014 lectureship with Joshua Vermillion: "Fabrication and simulation expert on campus for student design workshop and public lecture".
Previous recipients include:
2020 Felecia Davis
2019 Julie Larsen
2018 Dana Cupkova, Pittsburgh
2017 Tom Verebes, Hong Kong
2016 Ellie Abrons and Adam Fure, Michigan
2015 Mariana Ibañez & Simon Kim, Cambridge
2014 Joshua Vermillion, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
2013 Alvin Huang, Los Angeles
2012 Nick Puckett, Kentucky
2011 Drura Parrish, Kentucky
2010 Andrew Kudless, San Francisco
2009 Marc Fornes, New York
Taylor X Symposium
Taylor X Symposium
Taylor X Symposium
Taylor X Symposium
Taylor X Symposium