Dr. Brian R. Sinclair is Professor of Architecture + Environmental Design, and former Dean, in the University of Calgary’s School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape (SAPL). He has also served as Presidential Advisor on Design + Sustainability, a demanding and creative role unique in the landscape of higher education. Brian is President of sinclairstudio inc., a Canadian-based multi-disciplinary design and research corporation engaged in a broad array of interesting projects around the globe. Prior to his deanship, Sinclair was Chair of the nationally-ranked Architecture school at Ball State University in the USA. Brian holds post-graduate degrees in architecture and psychology. An educator and practitioner, Sinclair`s expertise + engagement spans from science to art. Professional memberships include American Institute of Architects (AIA), the Union of Mongolian Architects (UMA), the Society of Nepalese Architects (SONA), and Fellowships in the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) and the International Institute for Advanced Studies (IIAS). International boards include Architectural Research Centers Consortium (ARCC) and the Toda Institute for Global Peace + Policy Research. In 2003 he was inducted into the prestigious Omicron Delta Kappa Leadership Society and in 2010 into the esteemed Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. Sinclair is recipient of numerous honors and accolades, including the 2010 “President’s Medal of Distinguished Achievement” and a 2012 Doctor Honoris Causa (DrHC) from the International Institute for Advanced Studies in Systems Research & Cybernetics in Germany. In 2012 he was awarded the University of Calgary Graduate Students’ Association “Teaching Excellence Award”. His PhD (University of Missouri) research focused on an innovative holistic design + planning framework to improve quality of life for some of world’s poorest people. Dr. Sinclair has worked in nations around the globe, including with populations that are disenfranchised and marginalized. He is widely published on many topics, including numerous academic articles exploring Aboriginal culture, design, obstacles and opportunities. In 2013 he was awarded the Rev. Dr. Chief John Snow Jr. Award for excellence in teaching and research in support of the Indigenous community. Scholarship includes professional practice, design methods, open building, agile architecture, tall building, strategic planning, master planning, integrated design, cultural considerations, Indigenous design, environmental psychology, international development, campus & community planning & design , sacred space, environmentally-sensitive design, sustainability, and the collision of science + spirit. His books include “Context, Culture and the Pursuit of Sustainability” (2009, CaGBC) .
Dr. Sinclair can be reached at brian.sinclair@ucalgary.ca or brian.sinclair@sinclairstudio.ca.
