Award

80 | M A R C H 2 0 2 3 Indigenous Learning Centre – Western University P H OTO G R A P H Y BY L I SA LO GA N /CO U RT E S Y A RC H I T EC T S T I L L M A N N RU T H RO B I N S O N INDIGENOUS LEARNING CENTRE – WESTERN UNIVERSITY by ROBIN BRUNET S eeking extensive input from stakeholders has become com- mon among architects for virtually any project, but the peo- ple behind the development of Western University's new Indigenous Learning Centre (ILC) took the prac- tice to new levels in order to create a touchstone for Indigenous stu- dents' groups and programming. Wanda Dalla Costa, founder of the Tawaw Architecture Collective and Canada's first Indigenous woman to practice architecture, explains, "We used our Indigenous Place Keeping Framework [IPKF] to ensure the project was citizen-led, place-based, and had a reciprocal value for the home community." The result is an area on campus that embodies a distinctive circular structure with three levels of indoor space, including a ground/main floor open concept for gathering, a second level mezzanine area, and a lower-level accommodating teach- ing/learning spaces and offices (the location also allows for a relocation of the University's Indigenous Food and Medicine Garden and an outdoor classroom with ceremonial space). Scott Robinson, principal at archi- tects Tillmann Ruth Robinson, says, "I had met Wanda back in 2018 and jumped at the chance to have her on our team and collaborate with her. Due to her unique approach to seeking stakeholder input, I learned a great deal about the pro- cess of Indigenous engagement." Dalla Costa says her process aims to "decolonize design" and consisted of five steps that lasted from October to December of 2018 and was led by Candace Brunette-Debassige, spe- cial advisor to the University's provost (Indigenous Initiatives). The first step determined the aspirations of stakeholders and how they could be achieved. "Then we undertook place- based research by really digging into resources for forgotten or overlooked cultural context, in order to increase our awareness of the client." After that came the most crucial step: the community-led teach- ing phase in which stakeholders expressed their worldview and proto- cols. "Among many other things, we learned that Western University was all about imparting knowledge con- nected to the land," Dalla Costa says. The final stages included conduct- ing a visual preferences survey in which it was determined if a traditional or modern approach to the design was warranted (Western stakeholders pre- ferred a contemporary structure). The University announced in July of 2019 that the distinctive circular library at the John. G. Althouse Faculty of Education Building would be repur- posed as the keystone to the ILC. "It was an elegant concrete form built in 1966, with a robust structure but not a lot of natural light, so we added new open- ings and replaced the old skylight to increase transparency," Robinson says. S.E.M. Construction also exca- vated the lower level to the basement to create a terrace that steps up onto grade. Construction was aided some- what by the fact that ground broke in August of 2021, when the cam- pus was still mostly devoid of people due to COVID. S.E.M. also built new offices, kitchens, and bathrooms, and presided over the installation of a high-efficiency heating and cool- ing system as well as LED lighting. Arguably the most remarkable design aspect of ILC is a ceremonial arbour that is a modern interpre- tation of a turtle's shell (after the Indigenous name of North America, Turtle Island). Eventscape Inc. cre- ated the elaborate steel frame in its Toronto fabrication shop, disassem- bled it, and shipped it to Timmerman Timberworks Inc., which created the glulam cladding. "Everything was dis- assembled again and shipped to the site, where it was put together again very quickly," Robinson says. As the project neared completion in October of 2022, Robinson said of Western University, "Our relationship with them goes back more than three decades, and with their director of capital projects, Fred Janzen, they gave this project tremendous support." For her part, Dalla Costa emphasizes that the steps taken to gather enough input to influence design decisions "makes the difference between creat- ing something that is acceptable and something meaningful and authentic. The process also gives architects a bet- ter chance to avoid an undue amount of design changes, because the input from stakeholders is so extensive." A LOCATION 1137 Western Road, London, Ontario OWNER /DEVELOPER Western University ARCHITECTS architects Tillmann Ruth Robinson (prime consultant) / Tawaw Architecture Collective GENER AL CONTR ACTOR S.E.M. Construction STRUCTUR AL CONSULTANT VanBoxmeer & Stranges Engineering Ltd. MECHANICAL /ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT Chorley + Bisset Ltd. L ANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Arthur Lierman Landscape Architecture TOTAL SIZE 13,400 square feet TOTAL COST Undisclosed

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