Urban Indigenous Youth and Education Project

2023

The Urban Indigenous Youth and Education Project (UIYEP) is an ambitious, Indigenous-led undertaking with the potential to change the landscape for the urban Indigenous community in Vancouver. The project involves the co-location of the Urban Native Youth Association (UNYA) and Nicola Valley Institute of Technology (NVIT), two established and significant Indigenous organizations to improve services and educational outcomes for Indigenous youth and adults in an urban environment. NVIT and UNYA will partner with the City of Vancouver (the City) through the Non-Market Housing Development and Operations (NMHDO) department to deliver the mixed-use development that also includes Indigenous-focused affordable housing and childcare. The project is a collaborative venture of Formline Tawaw Architecture, Kwas n Enterprises, and CitySpaces Consulting (“Proponent Team”) as the Project Manager.
Stage of Completion
Schematic Design (2022-2023)
Location
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Size
40,308 ft2| 3,744.8 m2
Cost
TBD
Client
Urban Native Youth Association (UNYA), Nicola Valley Institute of Technology (NVIT) and City of Vancouver (CoV)
Architect of Record
Formline Tawaw Architecture
Design Team
Wanda Dalla Costa, Alfred Waugh, LaDawn Bentley, Alvin Villar, Tierra Miller, Karan Ranka, Katarina Kandracova
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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