New building based on traditions, and modern application of LEED principles
Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre
The main entrance faces east and the approach is flanked by cedar totem poles. Cedar cladding uses 2×8 planks prefabricated into panels and applied as a rainscreen
by Jim Taggart
Completed in 2008, the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre is a showcase for the cultures of the two First nations whose traditional territories overlap in the Callaghan Valley, where the resort municipality of Whistler now stands.
The cooperation between the Squamish and Lil’wat Nations – which dates to ancient times – has now been entrenched in a protocol agreement that enabled them to become joint clients for this building. The 4.35 acre [1.76hectare] site was granted under a long term lease from the municipality as a means to engage the Squamish Lil’wat people in the life of the town. Located at the edge of a now urban forest, close to Whistler Creek, the site has been treated with respect, with the building section following the sloping terrain on the northern side of the property, leaving the forested area mostly untouched.
Architecturally, the 38,000sf [3350 sq.m] building is a contemporary reinterpretation of the traditional longhouses of the Squamish people, and the Istken or pithouse of the Lil’wat people. The building is three storeys in height and radial in plan.
On the exterior, local ledge-stone forms a plinth beneath a window wall along the north side, while prefabricated cedar siding panels clad the other elevations. The main entrance with its intricately carved cedar doors is located to the east, and leads visitors directly into the light-filled ‘Great Hall’, a dramatic, double-height exhibition area of dugout canoes, massive cedar spindle wheels suspended from the ceiling beams, and a theatre.
Above, a mezzanine contains secondary gallery space, workshops and access to a replica longhouse and Istken located on the high south side of the site. Stairs down from the Great Hall lead to the function level, with gift shop, cafeteria, curatorial and administrative spaces. Projecting from the curved north facade on an existing bluff is the Istken-like cafeteria, circular in plan with its conical green roof supported on inclined log posts.
The south wall and lower level of the building are poured in place concrete acting as a retaining structure for the steep north-facing slope. On the upper levels, the post and beam construction comprises paired Douglas fir glulam columns and beams. Efficient, composite action reduces the member sizes for the columns and makes for a more slender and economical structure. Locally prefabricated roof panels framed with wood I-joists and pre-insulated, span between the main roof beams – two for each tapering structural bay. Prefabrication was used to fast track production, and speed erection at a time of rapidly escalating construction costs.
The glazing system for the north-facing window wall is a unique interpretation of the overlapping cedar plank cladding that was traditionally used on Squamish longhouses. A T-shaped horizontal glazing bar enables each glazing unit to be installed at a slight incline so that the base of each unit projects beyond the top of the unit below. The entire assembly is suspended on pre-tensioned steel cables bracketed off the glulam columns.
As ancestral stewards of the land and its resources, Canada’s First Nations have positioned themselves at the forefront of the environmental movement. It is appropriate, therefore, when commissioning this facility, that the Squamish Lil’wat First Nations should follow the principles of green building, and embrace the use of leading edge environmental technology.
Accordingly, the design of the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre has been implemented following the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design [LEED] program, and certification is expected in 2009.
The site, and the green roof over the Istken have been planted with native species [although Whistler’s bylaws prevent the use of berry-bearing plants to discourage bears], and hard-paved areas use permeable paving to facilitate the return of site water to the ground. A radiant floor system, low-E glazing and lighting controls are among the many measures that contribute to improved
environmental and energy performance.
The use of wood in First Nations buildings fulfills a need to carry forward custom and tradition into the 21st century. In the words of Metis architect Alfred Waugh, “simply put, wood helps to carry on the memory of the First Peoples’ traditional connection to the land and all the spirits embodied in it.”
A prominent public building of this quality affirms the vibrant nature of aboriginal culture in the contemporary context, while the use of British Columbia Douglas fir, western red cedar, and regionally-fabricated engineered wood products serves to benefit local economies, both native and non-native.
Jim Taggart, MAIBC is editor of SABMag.
Credits
- Client: Squamish Nation and Lil’wat nation, North Vancouver
- Design Architect: Alfred Waugh Architect, West Vancouver
- Construction Administration: Architect Toby Russell Buckwell + Partners Architects, Vancouver
- Structural Engineer: Equilibrium Consulting Inc., Vancouver
- Mechanical Engineer: Stantec, Vancouver
- Electrical Engineer: Acumen Engineering, Burnaby
- Civil Engineer: CJ Anderson Civil Engineering Inc., North Vancouver
- Landscape Architect: Philips Wuori Long Inc, Vancouver
- Construction manager: Newhaven Construction, North Vancouver
- Glulam Fabricator: Western Archrib, Edmonton
- Photos: Forestry Innovation Investment Ltd., Vancouver
Materials
- Structure: Post and beam frame of glulam by Western Archrib,and solid sawn timber
- Exterior: Exterior aluminum cladding and cedar siding, Soprema Sopravap’r waterproof SBS roof membrane, roof panels by Newhaven using the Icynene Insulation System; Broda Pro-tek-tor Natural Oil wood finish stains on cedar byCBR Products, exterior paint by General Paint
- Interior: Interior paint by General Paint, and Eco Spec and MooreSpec paint by Benjamin Moore; carpet tile by InterfaceFLOR,carpet by Bentley Price Street, Forbo Marmoleum; radiant floor heating by Heat Link; Arreis countertops by Sierra Pine, cabinets made of low-formaldehyde Pure Bond by Columbia Forest Products; dual flush toilets and waterless urinals by Sloan; Grafik Eye 3000 Series lighting controls by Lutron, building controls by Johnson Controls; Electric Faucets – Delta Commercial electric faucets, Global Contract furniture
- HVAC: Enviro-Tec Air Handling Units, McQuay [Pre Heat Coil] Vision Air Handlers, condensing unit R410A by Mitsubishi Electric for kitchen air conditioner, grilles, diffusers, and fire dampers by Nailor Industries; Buderus Hydronic Systems G615 Seriesgas-fired boiler, McQuay air chiller, force flow heaters by Rosemex, expansion tanks and pumps by S.A. Armstrong
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