Fire Hall & Elder’s Centre
Starting with the functional requirement of providing a two-bay fire hall for this small northern community, Local Practice began the pre-design investigation by asking the client, “How might this project offer more to your community?” Given the needs of the Village and the prominent location of the site, their response was to expand the program to include an Elder’s Centre. With this enhanced brief, we focused on developing a more thorough understanding the character of the place and people through an extensive site analysis which led to the ultimate design solution.
This research identified the intimate connection between the place and the oral history of the community. The resulting design was therefore developed to support this connection through the creation of a diverse range of gathering and resting spaces; sympathetic spaces to support elders to tell the stories of the community. Strong visual connections to the street support stronger connections between people, while planted exterior spaces encourage people to slow down. The building is understood to be a focus of community pride and an anchor for the village. The building also faces directly south, oriented to maximize solar heating potential, and designed to the Passive House ‘low energy’ Standard.
Client: Nisga’a Village of Gitwinksihlkw
Location: Nisga’a Village of Gitwinksihlkw, BC
Team: Local Practice (Architect), Associated Engineering (Structural, Mechanical, Electrical, Civil)