WINNER OF A 2023 CANADIAN ARCHITECT AWARD OF MERIT
Reflective of our times, we looked at a large number of projects that were designed to serve Indigenous Peoples. Finding an appropriate and functional architectural expression was not always successful. In this case, it is: a new form of architecture consciously emerges from the landscape and looks to Indigenous precedents, and it works well. The resultant building is clearly recognizable, and I expect will become a point of pride for the Indigenous community members using it. — Claire Weisz, juror
Built in the heart of the University of Toronto Scarborough campus, Indigenous House moves the institution into a new chapter of rehabilitating its relationship with Canada’s Indigenous population.
Indigenous House will provide a home for a mix of academic and social spaces. The program includes offices for the Elders and other Indigenous staff, dedicated rooms for research and scholarship in areas such as language preservation, spaces for regular and continuing education opportunities, exhibition areas, and gathering spaces.
The site offers long views over Highland Creek Ravine, one of the region’s many ravines undergoing rediscovery and renewal. In consultation with local Elders, the grounds and surrounding area will be planted with medicinal and other native tree and plant species including a thicket of birch trees, ensuring that the Indigenous House will mature and evolve over time to become a natural and enriching heart of the Indigenous community and the university’s Scarborough campus.
Inspired by the form of a wigwam, the two-storey building expresses Indigeneity in its construction, aesthetics and engineering. Its distinctive ovoid structure will be composed of expressive curved glue-laminated timber, recalling traditional bentwood construction techniques. The offices and services are situated at the centre of the building, with round gathering spaces anchoring each end. An atrium will draw connections between the two levels while strengthening the round expression of the ceremonial spaces. At the western end of the building, an ascending ramp framed by medicinal plants leads to a second floor viewing deck, overlooking a large outdoor gathering area.
The design team has applied the principles of nature and Indigenous Ways of Knowing to create a highly contemporary building. Sited over what is currently a parking lot, Indigenous House will reach out into the landscape and engage with it in a meaningful way. Its presence will enhance the site with regenerative planting, passive heating and cooling, and spaces designed specifically to support and enhance Indigenous culture and traditions.
Importantly, Indigenous House will offer culturally appropriate spaces for ceremonies, which are currently lacking on the campus. This building will give Indigenous People a place where they can feel like they belong. More broadly, it will signal the university’s commitment to address fully the findings and recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
CLIENT University of Toronto Scarborough | ARCHITECT TEAM Alfred Waugh FRAIC, Janna Levitt FRAIC, Drew Adams MRAIC, Matthew Hunter, Henry Dyck, Nik Langroudi, Stuart Maddocks, Kevin Martin, Jonah Lewis, Kara Burman, Jake Pauls Wolf, Nevil Wood MRAIC, Marc Ryan, Ben Watt-Meyer, Asuka Kono, Luke van Tol | STRUCTURAL Equilibrium | MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL Introba | LANDSCAPE Public Work | CIVIL MTE | CODE LMDG | COST Vermeulens | ECOLOGY LGL | ACOUSTICS Thornton Tomasetti | FOOD SERVICE Kaizen | GEOTECHNICAL GHD | SPECIFICATIONS DGS | SIGNAGE Adams + Associates | AREA 922 m2 | BUDGET Withheld | STATUS Under Construction | ANTICIPATED COMPLETION 2024
TOTAL ENERGY USE INTENSITY (PROJECTED) 130 kWh/m2/year | THERMAL ENERGY DEMAND INTENSITY (PROJECTED) 71.3 kWh/m2/year | GREENHOUSE GAS INTENSITY (PROJECTED) 6.5 kgCO2e/m2/year