Hornby Island Free Lab
Prix de Rome Research | Design Build Teaching Lab
Dalhousie University
Summer 2026
The Hornby Island Free Lab brought architecture students together to design and build a community pavilion beside the new Hornby Island Arts Centre. As part of our Prix de Rome solid-wood research, the lab used generic log posts and everyday materials to explore how a contemporary structure could emerge from the island’s unconventional building culture. A simple, repeated palette of materials was paired with a loose, improvised plan, giving the open-air amphitheatre a surprisingly comfortable sense of enclosure and a strong connection to its place.
The design evolved as it was built, with drawings tested against materials, construction, and the realities of the site. For the students, the project showed how much architecture can be learned by building it.
Students
Ameek B
Blake K
Jacob M
Mathew B
Max B
Mcghee T
Olivia P
Tayler R
Vayda W-M
Wilson F
Photos: D’Arcy Jones / Shane Hauser