MacKay-Lyons ArchEx 2014 Keynote Speaker

Brian MacKay-Lyons, Hon. FAIA
Brian MacKay-Lyons, Hon. FAIA

The Virginia Society AIA announces Brian MacKay-Lyons, Hon. FAIA, as the 2014 Keynote Speaker at Architecture Exchange East.

In over 30 years of work, he and his firm — MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects — have built an international reputation for design excellence, winning more than 100 awards, including six Governor General’s Medals and two American Institute of Architects Honor Awards. In addition, the firm’s work has been featured internationally in over 300 publications and 100 exhibitions. Reminiscent of Taliesen or the Rural Studio, MacKay-Lyons also runs the Ghost Architectural Lab, which won an AIA Institute Honor Award in 2012. Although the lab is currently on hiatus, he hasn’t been idle.

Houses designed in Atlantic Canada have made MacKay-Lyons a leading proponent of critical regionalist architecture worldwide. This recognition has led to a transition in the practice toward increased public and international commissions, involving increased complexity in both design and project delivery.

The Keynote Address takes place on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2014. Registration opens for ArchEx in late August.

About Brian MacKay-Lyons

MacKay-Lyons was born and raised in the village of Arcadia in Southwestern Nova Scotia. He received his Bachelor of Architecture from the Technical University of Nova Scotia in 1978 where he was awarded the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada Medal. He received his Master of Architecture and Urban Design at U.C.L.A., and was awarded the Dean’s Award for Design.

After studying in China, Japan, California and Italy working with Charles Moore, Barton Myers and Giancarlo De Carlo, MacKay-Lyons returned to Nova Scotia in 1983 to challenge the historic maritime ‘brain drain’ trend, and to make a cultural contribution to Nova Scotia where his Acadian and Mi’kmaq ancestors have lived for centuries. In 1985 he founded the firm Brian MacKay-Lyons Architecture Urban Design in Halifax. Twenty years later, Brian partnered with Talbot Sweetapple to form MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects Ltd. The firm has built an international reputation for design excellence confirmed by over 100 awards including six Governor General Medals, two American Institute of Architects Honor Awards for Architecture, 15 Lieutenant Governor’s Medals of Excellence, seven Canadian Architect Awards, three Architectural Record Houses Awards, and seven North American Wood Design Awards. A fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (FRAIC), and the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (RCA), MacKay-Lyons was named Honorary Fellow (International) of the American Institute of Architects (Hon. FAIA) in 2001.

As a full professor of architecture at Dalhousie University, he has contributed to architectural education for 30 years. He has held numerous visiting professorships and endowed academic chairs at leading universities including: The Peter Behrens School of Architecture in Dusseldorf, University of Houston, Washington University in St. Louis, University of Michigan, University of Arkansas, University of Maryland, Texas A & M University, Auburn University, Tulane University, Syracuse University, Middlebury College, University of Oklahoma, McGill University, and Harvard University. Brian has held an international summer internship called Ghost on his farm since 1994. He has given over 180 public lectures on his work internationally.