Number TEN was humbled to accept a Prairie Design Award of Merit for Manitou a bi Bii daziigae on Monday evening.
From the jury: This building ensemble is conceived as an inclusive learning and research hub for emerging IT industries in consultation with the RRC community, industry leaders, and Indigenous stakeholders. Its ambitious design embraces the principles of community connectivity, inclusion, and collaboration through the adaptive re use of a 20,000-square-foot heritage building, an 80,000-square-foot addition, a skywalk and a student plaza. This project incorporates leading sustainable technologies and energy performance targets, including: a continuous photovoltaic panel skin exterior; an expansive skylight that channels daylight through a five-storey atrium to its interior spaces; and a ‘live’ operational performance data feed to its users. This project also incorporates Indigenous art and symbolism; the mural on the soffit area of the projecting cornice, while counter-intuitive, is a welcoming gesture to those who enter this facility.
To create welcoming, inclusive, collaborative spaces embedded in our places and communities is a privilege. To be recognized for this work is an honour.
Designed in joint venture with Diamond Schmitt