The vision for the new net-zero facility for the Under One Sky A•wit•gati Longhouse & Culture Centre in Fredericton is to be a vibrant, iconic, community-centered facility that can accommodate a diverse, and urgently needed array of programming for the urban Indigenous community at all stages of life. Celebrating Indigenous knowledge throughout the building’s design is crucial to achieve this vision. The new Friendship Centre is designed as a collection of bisymetrical volumes derived from the sections of a turtle shell, each pod connected by a glazed passageway. The interconnected spaces allow for intergenerational knowledge to be shared as they would be in a longhouse. The building pods are gathered in a semi-circle, each one connected to the centre of an outdoor gathering circle and ceremonial fire.

Each pod is assigned one of the Seven Sacred Teachings, tying the building together while giving each space a distinct representational identity that corresponds to its use. The earth, wind, fire, and water gardens surround the pods and are designed and located based on the medicine wheel creating visual and physical extensions from the building, encou aging outdoor social and cultural activities.

Status

ongoing

Type

Architecture, landscape architecture, planning, wayfinding, brand

Client

Under One Sky Friendship Centre

Location

Fredericton, New Brunswick