The Purdy Crawford Centre for the Arts is the first new campus building for Mount Allison University in three decades. Prominently located on Main Street, the building acts as a new gateway to the campus and gives Mount Allison a strong identity within the community. The building’s red rock-faced ashlar sandstone exterior matches the traditional campus buildings, integrating it with its surrounding context.

The building features specialized fine arts studios, workshops, offices, classrooms, meeting spaces, and a flexible 100-seat theatre with separate staging and assembly space. The Theatre combines old and new features with sophisticated sound and lighting equipment, as well as additional space for teaching and collaborating. The Theatre also has a flexible capacity through the use of telescopic seating with the potential to expand seating options for much larger audiences.The building is almost entirely naturally ventilated, with the exception of the self-contained Theatre whose walls are made of recycled wood.