Indigenous health practises. These community spaces will be supported by outdoor spaces for gathering, play and healing. In addition to providing muchneededhousingandcommunity facilities, the goal of that project was also to honour local house nations and demonstrate care for the residents and the neighbourhood. “There’s a Coast Salish practice called ‘Esemkwu,’” Jennifer explains. “When a baby is born, you wrap them in a blanket. When someone gets married, you wrap them in a blanket. When someone is being honoured, you wrap them in a blanket. It’s something that shows caring and honouring. So we’ve literally wrapped our building in blankets.” Renowned Coast Salish artist Deborah Sparrow was commissioned to weave two blankets for the project. UAA interpreted those blankets in brick on the façade of the project. UAA is also currently working with the Aboriginal Land Trust on a new social housing project in the same area. That project – called the ‘Ch’ich’iyúy Elxwíkn Affordable Leasehold Homeownership Project’ – will include 172 units of housing along with social services and retail space. The goal of the project is to give low-andmiddle-income people a path to owning their own homes. The project was designed to “honour and celebrate Indigenous matriarchs,” and one portion of the building is for elder Indigenous women specifically. The list goes on – UAA is working with a number of Indigenous groups on a number of housing projects around the province, and their goal is to continue pursuing those projects moving forward. THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTYzNTg=