Sweetgrass FN K-12 School

Sweetgrass FN K-12
School

year

2022

client

Sweetgrass First Nation

location

Sweetgrass First Nation, Saskatchewan, Canada

TAWAW role

Architectural Design

architect of record

Wallace Klypak Architects Ltd.

1

Background

Cultural Inclusivity

Sweetgrass First Nation K-12 school is intended to bring Indigenous pedagogy and Indigenous ways of knowing and being.

2

Approach

Engagement

Tawaw hosted six community engagement sessions with the community, students, and staff of Sweetgrass First Nation. The following activities were used: participatory mapping, visual preference surveys, Indigenous ways of knowing programming, and design association brainstorm.

6

number of community engagements

3

Impact

Cultural Integration

Through this community engagement, design drivers were developed that informed the design of the school. Indigenous Aesthetic – natural world references, natural light, natural materials, openness, and spaces that are inviting and warm. Cultural Expression and Associations – participants mentioned tipi, sweat lodge, eagle, and buffalo. Student and Teaching Spaces – student spaces should promote creative and explorative learning, while providing comfortable seating in all learning areas. Spaces should be mindful of special needs and autistic students.

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