The Indigenous People’s Space

The Indigenous People’s Space

2019

The Indigenous People’s Space (IPS) will provide a home for First Nation, Inuit, and Métis Nation voices to build relationships to the Crown in the spirit of reconciliation. This project takes place on the territory of the Omamìwìnini Anishinaabeg | Algonquin Nation. Ottawa has been a place of peaceful diplomacy for millennia. The nearby sacred site – Akikodjiwan | Chaudière Falls | Victoria Islands has been a place to conduct nation-to-nation diplomacy since 2000 BCE, respected as neutral ground for 4000 years. It is considered a heart of our continent, Turtle Island. A new Indigenous presence will symbolize nation-to-nation relations and Indigenous self-determination across the country, starting with the nation-to-nation axis, a pathway from Parliament to the site of a sacred fire on the IPS site. The project is an adaptive reuse of the former colonial architecture, wrapped in a thermal encasement to conserve energy, while offering a revised representation that more closely connects to principles of Indigeneity. The design is intended to honor the local territorial holders to this region, while also representing diverse Indigenous peoples from across Canada. Cultural associations for the new facility include the Algonquin wigwam, basketry, the Metis Sash, a shawl (gift), regalia, snowshoes and feathers. 

Categories

Public space

Stage of Completion

Schematic Design (2019)

Location

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Size

49,904 sq.ft. 4,637 m2

Client

The Assembly of First Nations

Project Architect

Wanda Dalla Costa Architect, David T Fortin Architect, Eladia Smoke Architecture

Design Team

Winnie (Pitawanakwat), Claudio Vekstein, Dolores Cremonini, Larissa Roque, Nicole Luke, Jason Surkan

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