The Cultural Arbour at Northern Lights College is a covered, 450 seat open-air gathering place for education, ceremony, and public events. Through collaboration with local Indigenous Peoples, the arbour was designed to be a new emblem for Indigenous cultural presence at the college, and a reminder of the ancestral territory on which they operate.
The design of the Cultural Arbour was influenced by the symbology of the Dunne-Za, with geometric repetition mimicking a drum through a framework of interconnected triangles, that efficiently distribute loads in tension and compression. The cone-shaped timber roof provides coverage to the amphitheatre, while the opening at the centre allows smoke from the fire circle to escape and provides views of the sky.
Renders courtesy of McFarland Marceau Architects
The hybrid timber-steel structure embraces both traditional and modern engineering. The roof is framed for Canadian solid sawn timber with tension and compression rings at the perimeters to provide stability, and the base, simple steel V-columns over concrete, was designed to integrate with the surrounding landscape.
Once complete, the multi-purpose venue will be a space of unity and belonging, allowing Indigenous knowledge, ceremony, and ties to the land to exist meaningfully alongside education.
Construction images by Victor Morin of McFarland Marceau Architects
