John Brown, PhD is Professor of Architecture and Dean of the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape at the University of Calgary. He is a registered architect, Immediate Past President of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, a founding partner of the residential design/build company Housebrand and Garden Loft, a start-up venture exploring new forms of senior’s housing.
Since becoming Dean in 2018, John Brown has led the school through an aggressive period of expansion that includes the founding of a Doctor of Design degree program focused on mid-career practicing professionals looking to develop and implement a disruptive practice-focused innovation; the opening of the City Building Design Lab, a community-focused design hub in Downtown Calgary; and launching the school’s first undergraduate degree, the transdisciplinary Bachelor of Design in City Innovation.
John Brown is a recognized authority on residential practice, innovative models of architectural practice, and age-in-community design. He received the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada Award of Excellence for Innovation and the Residential Architect Leadership Award for his development of Housebrand, a vertically integrated practice that combines residential architecture, construction, interior design, and real estate services into a one-stop shop for homebuyers who would not consider it possible to work with an architect on their home.
John Brown completed a PhD in age-in-community design from RMIT in 2016. This work evolved into a collaboration with researchers at UCalgary’s Cumming School of Medicine that led to the Age-in-Place Laneway House Research Project which received a Mayor’s Urban Design Award in Housing Innovation. Brown commercialized this research out of the University to launch Garden Loft, a start-up delivering prefabricated senior’s housing units and community-centred digital technology solutions to Canada’s aging population.
