[1] It is the first Canadian school of architecture to offer a design studio curriculum in both English and French, as well as a cultural learning environment for the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities.

[7] The school faced some initial controversy when it announced its preferred campus location in Downtown Sudbury, which would displace the city's existing farmer's market.

The city voted on November 9, 2011, to accept the school's request to purchase the site,[9] and struck an advisory panel to make recommendations on the relocation and development of the farmer's market.

[13] The landscape plan and the building performance matrix are aimed at referencing the boreal forest while addressing ecology and the impact of climate change in architecture.

[15] The curriculum emphasizes architectural and manufacturing techniques with a focus on  traditional and evolving aspects of northern life, including indigenous culture, wooden construction, ecology and local resources as well as adaptive design to the impacts of climate change.