Lakehead University Gichi Kendaasiwin Centre

The Gichi Kendaasiwin Centre will be:

• the home for Aboriginal students at Lakehead University;
• the heart of an education outreach network;
• a foundation of support and pride;
• a place for community gatherings;
• a repository of memory;
• a spiritual place;
• a locus of research and advocacy on Indigenous peoples’ issues;
• and a welcoming pathway for all people toward awareness and appreciation of Indigenous cultures.

The proposed building is a story created by a series of design gestures on the site which aims to create a unique and deep relationship between the building and the earth on which it’s built. The fundamental gestures are:

• Shape the land to create spaces which are embraced by Mother Earth and reach out to the water.
• Define the circle as significant space, with entry from the east, as the primary ordering principle.
• Create a meaningful, didactic and sheltered path that engages the natural world and the circle as it connects the domestic zone (residences) to the academic zone (University Centre).
• Accommodate programs and services which support Indigenous students along this meaningful path.
• Organize the academic spaces above to reach up and connect with the sky.