Abbott Brown is a Canadian architectural firm founded in 2013. The partners, jane abbott (Master of Architecture in 2006 from Dalhousie University) and Alec Brown (Masters of Architecture 1993 from Dalhousie University) worked in Vancouver, Berlin, London, Copenhagen and Toronto before returning to Nova Scotia. Much of his work reflects this intersection between modern, ambitious design thinking and an appreciation of local maritime context and conditions.

Abbott Brown Architects received two 2019 Lieutenant Governor’s Awards of Merit for Excellence in Architecture.

One award, in the tall building category, is for the renovation of Dartmouth’s Zatzman Sportsplex in collaboration with Diamond Schmitt. The other, in the small building category, concerns the renovation of the Alderney Gate pedestrian bridge.

jane abbott was born in St. John’s, Newfoundland and raised in Halifax. After obtaining a licenciatura en McGill, he graduated from the renowned design program for rock and theater at the Escuela de Diseño Técnico Danés in Copenhagen and worked with the Compañía de Ópera Canadiense, el Ballet Nacional de Canadá and the Ópera Metropolitana in the city of New York. .


After living and working in Toronto for several years, Jane returned to Halifax and graduated from the Dalhousie School of Architecture, receiving RAIC Honors, the AIA Henry Adams Medal and the NSAA thesis. She co-founded Abbott Brown Architects in 2013. Jane teaches at Dalhousie and lectures more widely.

Alec BrownOriginally from Montreal and Lunenburg County, Alec studied art history at St. Andrews in Scotland and architecture at TUNS (now Dalhousie). He worked with several leading architectural firms in Vancouver and Europe, including McDowell + Benedetti in London and Studio Libeskind in Berlin, before returning to Nova Scotia and starting his own business in 2009.

Over the years Alec has worked on projects large and small that have been recognized with design awards and widely published. In 2011, his office was selected as one of the top 20 emerging designers by the national organization 20+Change. He teaches design at the Dalhousie School of Architecture.