WINNER OF A 2023 CANADIAN ARCHITECT STUDENT AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
I liked how these drawings were very unconventional, and appreciated the process of exploration to think about third space differently from how it’s normally discussed. This project goes from really explorative drawing to more conventional, but still textured, renderings. I thought this was just a huge amount of work and very original. — Claire Weisz, juror
Colonization and industrialization in Canada have perpetuated an irresponsible use of the Land and the suppression of local cultures, which is environmentally and socially unsustainable. This research project explores how to reframe architectural education to incorporate Indigenous values and knowledge into design practice to help restore balance and sustainability.
The project is informed by Indigenous teachings that the Land is the first space for learning, and the colonial model of a classroom is the second space. The Third Space proposes a new intermediary space for gathering, making, and learning for architecture students at the University of Manitoba.
Processes involved in creating The Third Space include:
1) Treading on the Land – Under the guidance of campus Anishinaabe Elder Valdie Seymour, Allah Baksh experienced the Land as a teacher.
2) Seasonal teachings – Multiple conversations and local Indigenous seasonal teachings with Elder Valdie Seymour then defined the program of The Third Space.
3) Speculative drawings – Efforts were made to explicitly demonstrate the inconsistencies and inability of the current school spaces to promote land-based teaching practice, through a series of speculative drawings that acted as a medium to provoke important questions and reveal the qualities that The Third Space considers.
4) Listening to the Land – Listening to the Land involved a new set of tools. The Chladni plate is a metal plate attached to a speaker. When specific sound frequencies are played, the vibrations transfer to the plate, creating corresponding patterns in salt that is spread across the plate. Various recordings revealed the sound of wind during winter, the sound of footsteps on the snow, and in autumn the sound of water from a small lake on campus. These images were instances of contemplation and teachings from the Land.
The research culminated in the design of a gathering space to be used by architecture students for ceremony and learning. However, the underlying premise of this thesis is a questioning of the way we practice architecture. Do we look at materials, Land, water, and animals as relatives or resources? Indigenous Elders do not refrain from hunting, but they give thanks and an offering of tobacco, meat, or another good to the Land before they hunt. The Third Space can become a place for students to be reminded of the need to pay gratitude when we practice architecture.
The Third Space is intended to host events based on the Anishinaabe seasons and ceremonies. The site includes a camping space, a Round House for seasonal ceremonies and other community gatherings, and the Design Lodge that facilitates Land-based teachings through workshop and studio spaces. The ideas and activities involved in Camping Space can form the basis for a design/build course. In winter, students prepare wood needed for camping. In spring, when working outdoors becomes feasible, students learn how to build their camping space and then camp through summer. The Third Space makes place for Elders, ceremonies, the faculty, and the broader community.
The teachings of Elders, sounds, smells, wind, and other experiences become guiding factors in this reconsidered architectural education. The hope is that The Third Space becomes a place of reclamation, and a place for the students to return to periodically. In this way, it will provide an opportunity for the faculty to build relationships with the larger community of Elders and the Land and to experience their teachings. This learning would then inform the way their students practice architecture when they enter the profession and help shape the way for new generations of students.
FACULTY ADVISOR Lancelot Coar