CENTENNIAL COLLEGE

Can Indigenous knowledge enhance our western ways of learning?

The project is formed by the concept of Two-Eyed Seeing, which promotes the ideals of seeing the world through both indigenous and western lenses. The design of the building was inspired by Indigenous values from the Anishinabek and Haudenosaunee cultures tied to more traditional contemporary western concepts in educational facilities. The result begins with a northern facing large public realm space for student engagement and gathering that raises from the East, framing a window to the sky and connecting people to nature in the form of a large landscaped area. This space is connected to the Indigenous Commons at level 2, a multi-purpose room inspired by the First Nation roundhouse, from which all educational program revolves around. In addition, classrooms have been designed to accommodate multiple ways of teaching, including Indigenous ways of learning and smudging practices.