Aerial view of a modern building and traditional structures surrounded by autumn trees with orange and red foliage at dusk.

The architectural expression rises from the land through three paths representing past, present, and future, standing above the former residential school. The concept recalls Makwa, the Bear, healer and protector, emerging from the ground and walking north in the direction of the Spirits. This lifted position offers a stronger and more dignified vantage point from which to look upon the site’s history, creating a new heart for the campus and a safe, welcoming place for cross-cultural learning and engagement.

Snow-covered landscape with bare trees framing a modern brown building and two people walking near a lit teepee at sunset.
Sustainability is exemplified through the use of mass timber, a renewable resource sourced locally, an effective insulator for Northern Ontario’s extreme winters, and a natural sequester of carbon. Landscape restoration will renew dry and wetland ecologies, stimulate the recurrence of natural plant species, and rejuvenate the eastern forests. Blurring the lines between building and land, indoor and outdoor, the Centre connects visitors to water, forest, and sky, creating places for gathering, ceremony, contemplation, and land-based learning.
Modern reading room with wooden ceiling beams, large window, colorful wall art, book-filled shelves, and three people seated around a table.
Modern curved seating area with three people sitting around a white round table near large windows with plants outside.
Modern circular meeting space with wooden chairs arranged in a circle under a ceiling with wooden beams and large windows showing trees outside.
Architizer A+Awards, Unbuilt Institutional, Popular Choice Winner
2022
WAFX Award, Future Education Projects
2022
Canadian Architect Awards of Excellence
2022
RTF Awards, Institutional Concept
2022
Global Future Design Awards, Cultural Architecture Concept
2022
Modern indoor seating area with curved wooden benches, plants, and three women sitting around a small table.
Modern office space with wooden ceiling beams, people working at desks with laptops, and a seating area by large windows.

Where truth is honoured and healing takes root.