WINNER OF A 2023 CANADIAN ARCHITECT AWARD OF MERIT
The building utilizes the practical modular building techniques necessary for the North, but introduces colour and setbacks to the massing to make a building that will stand out and welcome the community. The building section, with its clerestory central atrium, pushes the boundaries of what can be achieved in Northern public buildings. — Michael Heeney, juror
An innovative, economical and appropriate approach to building in the North. It’s neither fussy nor wasteful in its response to context and resilience. This will be a cherished building in the community and a centre of social life and activity. It is evident that the positive and exciting achievement of this project is the result of intensive and meaningful community engagement processes. — Omar Gandhi, juror
This building does so much with a very constrained set of design moves. It uses straightforward means to prevent environmental damage and mitigate strong winds for the users, and improves local conditions for passersby. Its bright yellow ramps and entrance walls can be seen in lower light conditions, and set the stage for it to connect to other community assets in this high Arctic city. — Claire Weisz, juror
In Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut, the Inuusirvik Community Wellness Hub (ICWH) addresses unique design, programming, and budget challenges with environmental responsibility.
For its 8,000 residents, the building unites counselling services, daycare, a wellness research centre, a research library, and food preparation and gathering spaces, while helping create a denser and pedestrian-friendly downtown core. The project developed over the course of seven years of engagement with the client, researchers, and daycare staff. The design team engaged with the local client group, led by Gwen Healey Akearok, to discuss form, use, seasonality, and cultural expression.
Building in the North can generate a huge cost in carbon emissions as well as exorbitant transportation costs. Wherever possible, the design team has specified lightweight materials and panelized products, which are easily assembled with basic equipment. The contractor is a local Inuit-owned operation that supports local construction crews and hires. Hiring local workers encourages skill development within the community and reduces travel costs (both in ecological and financial terms) otherwise incurred by non-local specialists.
Sitting just below the Arctic Circle, Iqaluit endures an average temperature of -26 degrees Celsius in January to +9 degrees in July, with just over five hours of daylight in winter to 24 hours of daylight in high summer. Like all buildings in the region, the building is elevated on piles to prevent it from melting the ground’s permafrost. In addition, it features an enhanced air-ventilation system to help prevent the respiratory ailments so common in the region. The building is heated primarily by underfloor radiant heating, supplemented by fresh air supply in ceilings.
Proximity to the land is central to Inuit culture and informs the architecture. The syncopated corrugated-metal cladding is evocative of the shimmering sea, notes Healey Akearok. The box-like massing is inflected with large “scoops” carved out from three of its corners to deflect wind and provide compact “green roofs” of lichen and moss. The tundra roof decks, clerestory glazing and windows bring landscape, light, and views into the building.
Inside, a wood-sheathed rotunda “drum” space will serve as the heart and hub of the building. Around the double-height rotunda are rooms for counselling, education, and preparation of traditional “country food”—freshly hunted seals and other local wildlife. On the second floor is the research centre, with a conference room, staff offices, and library.
In all elements of the design, accessibility and openness were key criteria, says Healey Akearok: “We know this will work, and we want to evaluate it so it can be replicated in other communities.”
CLIENT Qaujigiartiit Health Research Centre | ARCHITECT TEAM Lateral Office—Lola Sheppard, Mason White FRAIC, Kearon Roy Taylor; VRA—Verne Reimer FRAIC, Jeff Penner MRAIC, Daryl Holloway, Stephen Meijer, Youchen Wang | STRUCTURAL/ELECTRICAL/MECHANICAL/CIVIL WSP Canada Inc. | AREA 883 m2 | BUDGET $10.2 M | STATUS Under construction | ANTICIPATED COMPLETION November 2023