WINNER OF A 2021 CANADIAN ARCHITECT AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
The issue of Indigenous housing is one of crisis where architecture and design can play a direct role. This project is one of several that came out of an initiative to model a process of community engagement, led by Indigenous architects, that would result in designs tailored to the needs of particular communities.
In the case of the Fort Severn site, the resulting design recognizes the family unit as flexible and fluid and offers the possibility of evolving with the changing needs of an intergenerational family. Additionally, it integrates the needs of a cultural way of life that includes frequent trips out onto the land and outdoor communal cooking. There is the promise that many of the materials for the buildings could be harvested locally. The project also hopes to generate an opportunity to create local prefabrication facilities whose production ramps up during the long winter, in preparation for the short summer building season. The success of the design is linked directly to a meaningful and community-specific engagement process. – Jury Comment Based on site visits in June and September, along with extensive research and community consultation, the design was conceived to work in concert with daily and seasonal cycles of sun, wind, and water.
Approximately 25 percent of Indigenous Canadians live in overcrowded conditions and 20 percent live in homes requiring major repairs. The Assembly of First Nations e...