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year

2022

client

Western University

location

London, Ontario, Canada

TAWAW role

Architectural Design

architect of record

Tillmann Ruth Robinson Architects

1

Background

Indigenization

 

This center acts as a gathering place for Indigenous students and facilitates Indigenous community engagements. By showcasing Indigenous ways of knowing and pedagogies, it acts as a hub for Western University individuals who share an interest in Indigenization, decolonization, and reconciliation, fostering a sense of community across diverse groups on campus.

2

Approach

All Our Relations

 
The design draws inspiration from the Anishinaabe concept, ‘All Our Relations,’ which reminds us of the interconnectedness between all human beings and the natural world. This Indigenous teaching emphasizes environmental stewardship as a lifestyle and worldview, stating that we a not apart from nature, but a part of nature. 

4

number of community engagements
3

Impact

Student Success

Integrates Indigenous culture by drawing inspiration from symbols like the turtle, Métis Sash, and Lacrosse, while creating a safe and welcoming environment for Indigenous students through materiality and contemporary expressions. The design incorporates safe spaces for Elder-youth interactions, emphasizes natural materials and light, facilitates traditional ceremonies, incorporates language into signage, and features a Language Media Lab. This approach showcases Indigenous culture and encourages students to embrace a promising future.

Awards

Honorary Fellow


The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada is proud to announce that Wanda Dalla Costa, a prominent Indigenous voice and practitioner in North American architecture, has been awarded honorary fellowship for 2022. Wanda Dalla Costa is a member of the Saddle Lake Cree Nation and was the first First Nation woman to become an architect in Canada. Her firm, Tawaw Architecture Collective, is based in Phoenix, Arizona. She is the director and founder of Arizona State University’s Indigenous Design Collaborative, a community-driven design and construction program that brings together tribal community members, industry and multidisciplinary teams of university students and faculty to co-design and co-develop solutions for tribal communities. Dalla Costa is a prominent Indigenous female voice within the architectural profession–specifically within the academic sphere in North America.
Awards

YBCA's 100 Honorees: Wanda Dalla Costa


Indigenous Design Collaborative's founder and design director Wanda Dalla Costa was recognized as YBCA 100 list of change makers and cultural activists working at the intersection of art, social change and civic life.
Awards

Trailblazer Award: Wanda Dalla Costa


Presented this year as part of NZ20, the world's largest net zero conference and expo, the Trailblazer Awards celebrate leaders who are building a net zero future through their work in the carbon, energy, water, waste, transit and/or policy sectors.
Awards

St. Lawrence Center Competition Award 2023

Awards

Jeff Harnar Award
Unbuilt Architecture 2021

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