Harriet Burdett-Moulton. Photo: Chris Griffiths/Bang-On Photography
A former teacher, Harriet Burdett-Moulton, 68, of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, was inducted last year as a Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. In a career spanning 40 years, the senior architect with Stantec Architecture was the first to practice her discipline in Nunavut, with more than 150 buildings in her portfolio.
How has your Métis ancestry shaped your personal and professional goals"
Growing up in [Cartwright] Labrador, I had a sense that we were considered second-class citizens and that people who were very capable and intelligent had very little input into their governance. I feel strongly that people who use a facility or a building should have a say in how it is designed for them. You emphasize the importance of honouring ?aboriginal form? in Indigenous projects. What?s a good example"
Aboriginal form that reflects heritage or expresses culture will mean different things to different cultural groups. A reflection of Inuit heritage or culture, for example, is the use of an undulating roof on Piqqusilirivvik (the Inuit Culture Learning Facility in Clyde River) that lets the wind blow over the roof to minimize snow drifting.
You recommend that architects under-stand communities and their relationship to the land and the environment. Why is this important in Indigenous design"
I think everyone involved in the design process for all projects should have a voice. I thin...