Eladia Smoke

Architectural style and philosophy Indigenous design is linked to the environment, its inhabitants, and its culture. It is founded on the ideals that all First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples in Canada share, such as inclusivity, authenticity, respect, representation, and cooperation. They build to have meaning while using sustainable and relevant materials to allow the building to perform to its highest potential. The philosophy states the future of design is in the hands of Generation Z. More people need to appreciate the importance of architecture to the success of the globe, particularly considering climate change. A good relationship between a design and its surroundings, including “the land and the water,” is essential. Designing structures that are aesthetically pleasing yet harmful to the environment is the motive of Indigenous design. Eladia Smoke had expressed that all our cultures have a history of teachings centered on the land. Those precepts have been sublimated in various societies. Without losing sight of the helpful patterns that technology provides us, Two-Eyed Seeing recalls that delightful place, it is nature’s land before it is “ours”. Their people and their community, yet so giving to share with another community. Over 133,000 square feet of that space is new construction, and the other 16,000 is the renovation of the existing facility. Work commenced in June 2020 and is scheduled to be completed in the beginning months of 2023.

The projects programmatic elements consist of an open kitchen specifically for indigenous faculty, convergence spaces for students and visitors as well as flexible learning spaces to allow for the gatherings and teachings of Traditionalists, Elders, citizens of Indigenous Nations, and members of Indigenous communities. The building’s central avenue, known as the Wisdom Hall, is a double heighted space supported by ceiling joists representing the paddles of Ojibwe canoe. Indigenous artwork from the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe people line the walls of the Wisdom Hall. Aluminum panels line the building’s faced. The geometric pattern of the aluminum façade represents the scales of a fish when in motion.

This addition is one of the first zero-carbon, mass timber higher-education building in Canada. Mukqua Waakaa’igan, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Centennial College, Scarborough, ON Canadian Architect Awards Celebration