ADVISORY: All of Halifax Peninsula, including NSCAD’s three campuses, are currently under a boil water advisory until further notice. All water must be boiled for at least one minute if it will be used for drinking or any other activity requiring human consumption.

Major Construction Projects

NSCAD University has three small campuses in downtown Halifax—the Fountain Campus is made up of 19 interconnected former Victorian merchant shops; the Academy Campus is a charming 19th century building that was once a high school; and the Port Campus is a sleek converted warehouse overlooking the Halifax waterfront.

a unified campus at the halifax seaport

Reuniting NSCAD’s community in a purpose-built, accessible and iconic creative facility

 In November 2022, NSCAD University signed a long-term agreement with the Halifax Port Authority (HPA) to create an accessible, unified campus that will be the cornerstone of the vibrant creative and social district at the Halifax Seaport. 

Reuniting NSCAD’s community in one location at the Seaport will help leading-edge artistic pursuits and cultural exchanges engage the community and encourage response. Creating a stronger sense of community will also promote equity, diversity and inclusion, and enhance organizational and operational sustainability.  

There is now much engagement and planning work ahead with the NSCAD community before any aspect of design begins, and all aspects of the project will evolve over the coming years. The timing of actual construction is pending the project’s financial plan.

Unified Campus FAQs

This plan has been underway for quite some time. NSCAD knew the potential to reunite NSCAD’s campuses in one location would create a stronger sense of community, make our campus more equitable and accessible and enhance organizational and operational sustainability.  

NSCAD worked with Colliers on a comprehensive facility option analysis (Jan. 2021-Jan. 2022) that informed our decision to build a unified campus at the Halifax Seaport. The final agreement with the Port of Halifax was signed in November 2022.  

Since then, we have been consulting with students, faculty, and staff about requirements to revitalize the Port Campus, and we have been working with our architects to design and prepare construction-ready drawings for Phase One. We’re undertaking further consultations in fall 2024 and winter 2025 to plan for Phase Two, the expansion into Sheds 22 and Pavilion 23 at the Halifax Seaport. 

A unified campus at the Halifax Seaport will ignite programmatic innovation, increase enrolment, meet student housing needs, create a more equitable and inclusive environment, and maintain fiscal sustainability and strength.  

 The leased spaces at Shed 22 and Pavilion 23 will add 100,000+ square feet to NSCAD’s existing footprint at Port Campus to better serve the spatial and programmatic needs of the art school’s vision for the future. Not only that but it will become an arts and cultural district serving Halifax and the entire region.  

 Our plans also address the need for greater accessibility for everyone. The projected cost to update the Fountain and Academy campuses to meet Nova Scotia’s new accessibility legislation by 2030 would far exceed the projected cost of a consolidated campus.  

NSCAD’s Board of Governors includes students, faculty and alumni representatives in its membership, and the Board voted to approve the lease. We have a responsibility to our students and faculty to improve building accessibility and sustainability, while creating a rich, positive, experience for all members of the academic community.  

Much like the current Port Campus renovation project already underway, we are committed to ensuring our future home is purpose-built. Throughout the project, NSCAD will continue to engage our faculty, staff, students and stakeholders to inform how the evolving space will be used for classes, studios and common areas. 

The terms of the lease are not publicly disclosed. 

As part of our comprehensive engagement process, we’re looking for input and ideas from students and faculty members that will inform the parameters to select the design team. This is the next step in the process and will help ensure our future unified campus at the Halifax Seaport is purpose built, accessible and sustainable. 

The project will be divided into two phases. Phase 1 to renovate and revitalize the Port Campus is expected to be $25 million in capital costs. The design for this is complete and construction ready. Phase 2 to extending the campus into Shed 22 and Pavillion 23 is expected to cost $75 million. 

 

It has taken years to develop the roadmap to create a unified campus at the Halifax Seaport through two interlinked projects: the revitalization of the existing Port Campus and the consolidation at Shed 22/Pavillion 23 that will bring the entirety of NSCAD to the Seaport for 2030.  

 With two phases and two campuses to relocate, the moves will take place according to a carefully orchestrated plan over several years, balancing out temporary locations with final completed spaces.  

NSCAD will prioritize the student experience throughout all renovation and construction activities. The textiles, fashion and jewelry programs will be the first to move into the new Phase 1 revitalized Port Campus.

Student housing is an issue that is top of mind for all post secondary institutions in Halifax and throughout Nova Scotia. NSCAD remains optimistic that recent discussions between Nova Scotia universities, the Government of Nova Scotia and other parties will result in initiatives to help alleviate housing pressures for our students.

NSCAD recently issued a public request for pre-qualifications seeking organizations with experience in student residence development, operations and maintenance. The successful proponent(s) will work with the university to explore student housing proposals that will meet provincial student bed requirements and NSCAD’s future student needs. 

There has been no decision or direction provided for either building.  NSCAD owns these buildings and will continue to occupy them while we’re working on the two phases of construction. We plan to leverage the growing value of these properties to contribute to our campus reunification plan, but we have not yet determined the specifics. 

As a publicly funded institution, the government of Nova Scotia is always an important and valued source of funding for NSCAD University. In this case, the agreement between NSCAD and the Halifax Port Authority did not specifically require any financial assistance from the province or other levels of government.   

In terms of financing construction of the two phases, NSCAD continues to lobby the federal, provincial and municipal government on NSCAD’s vision for a thriving cultural hub at the historic Halifax Seaport and the broad community benefits of supporting it. Meetings with all levels of government and budget submissions for financial support will continue as the project progresses. 

 

Port Campus Renovation Project

Existing Port Campus

NSCAD announced in May 2021 it selected Moriyama and Teshima Architects to lead its Port Campus renovation project in collaboration with local firm Fathom Studio. The project will allow NSCAD to move programming from the Fountain Campus to the Port Campus ahead of the Province of Nova Scotia’s accessibility legislation that will require all public buildings to be fully accessible by 2030 (not a  practical reality for the Fountain Campus’s Victorian mercantile buildings).

The firm is leading NSCAD through the project’s plan and design that will optimize space utility, improve building accessibility and sustainability, and help create a rich, positive experience for all members of the academic community.

The project includes relocating jewellery, textile and fashion studios from the Fountain Campus to the Port Campus, which will bring all craft departments under one roof. The university’s ongoing consultations with its faculty, staff, students and stakeholders continue to inform the evolving space usage for classes, studios and common use areas.

Feedback from this engagement is helping to shape the project’s ongoing planning and design work.

Design concept for new Port Campus entrance