Project Completed:
2018 |
Construction Value:
$2.8 Million |
Client:
Gow Hastings Architects |
Location:
Toronto, Ontario |
Seneca First Nations Building
For Seneca’s growing number of Indigenous students, First Peoples at Seneca is a home away from home, and an ongoing connection to culture, education and tradition. At Seneca, counselors and elders provide tutoring and career guidance, wellness programs, smudging, water blessings and drum circles. V&R provided mechanical and electrical detailed design and construction drawings, permit and tender-ready documents for this project. Odeyto boasts more than 1,800 sq. ft of space, including offices, a computer lab, a kitchen, and a dedicated area for Indigenous Elders.
On the outside, a canoe-like structure rests on its side against the academic building, representing a stop on the journey for the students. The curvature of the roof mimics the position of the sun on June 21, the annual National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada. On the inside, 28 ribs along the top and the side of the flipped canoe remi- nisce the full lunar cycle and a woman’s moon time, honouring Indigenous women who are presently here. Two doors, facing East and West, are painted red to remember the missing and murdered Indigenous women who are presently here.
On the outside, a canoe-like structure rests on its side against the academic building, representing a stop on the journey for the students. The curvature of the roof mimics the position of the sun on June 21, the annual National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada. On the inside, 28 ribs along the top and the side of the flipped canoe remi- nisce the full lunar cycle and a woman’s moon time, honouring Indigenous women who are presently here. Two doors, facing East and West, are painted red to remember the missing and murdered Indigenous women who are presently here.