When the Laurentian University McEwen School of Architecture officially opened on January 19 of this year, we celebrated the long-awaited event in keeping with the season and the community. Outside, LED-illuminated wigwam structures and laser-cut geometric assemblies built by students filled the snowy courtyards, while bonfires burned throughout the evening. Inside, students, faculty, staff, and community members packed into the home of Canada?s first new school of architecture in 40 years, and as the local Black Bull Moose Singers belted out songs to the beat of their thunderous drums, it confirmed for me that this was not going to be like any other school of architecture. It couldn?t be.
When I first arrived in Sudbury in 2012 as a faculty candidate, I saw the city and region as a unique context for the study of architecture. The school would be situated not in a bustling urban centre or capital city, but a somewhat remote mid-size community known more for nickel mining and the Stompin? Tom Connors song ?Sudbury Saturday night? than for its potential as a northern design hub. And while not very ?northern? by latitude, the prominence of the Canadian Shield and multiple lakes scattered throughout Sudbury?s suburban and rural population?including several First Nations communities in close proximity?lucidly evokes ?the north? in terms of a lived experience. The McEwen School of Architecture. Photo by Bob Gundu.
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