Indigenous graphic and installation project at Centennial College

Background

Centennial College of Applied Arts & Technology is Ontario's oldest publicly funded college. Its A-Building is situated on the Progress Campus in Scarborough, 25 km from downtown Toronto, on the traditional lands of many First Nations territories.

The College announced plans to expand and renovate its A-Building in February 2020. EllisDon was chosen to run the $105-million project using sustainably sourced mass timber as an alternative to modern building materials. Spruce, pine, and fir lumber were used from forests in central Quebec to align with traditional materials for Indigenous lodges, to enhance the energy efficiency of the building, and to demonstrate sustainability and environmental consciousness.

DIALOG and Smoke Architecture designed the building to be the first LEED Gold, zero-carbon, mass timber higher education facility in Canada.

The Project

The College required the design to be grounded in Indigenous heritage and principles, reflect endemic beliefs in nature and art, and pay homage to the local environment. The interior and exterior of the building needed to portray a clear and accurate Indigenous narrative inspired by the Mi’kmaq concept of "two-eyed seeing." This viewpoint combines Indigenous and Western knowledge and wisdom.

Wisdom Hall is a four-storey atrium that connects A-Building’s Indigenous storytelling as a large multipurpose space and access point to other areas. As such, it has a lot of foot traffic—for study, communal gatherings, and transit. The design of this space needed to be inclusive, inviting, and harness a strong testimony to the College’s ongoing commitment to Truth and Reconciliation.

Wisdom Hall has a distinct ceiling feature with 118 wood baffles on two floors, shaped to form the flow of water. These undulating wood baffles cover a combined surface of 2,800 sq. ft. They are carved to resemble the riverbed of Highland Creek that runs directly behind the College.

We were tasked with enhancing this significant ceiling feature, in the central hub of the building, by designing and installing graphic art storytelling integrated into the Indigenous theme.

The Challenge

We needed to bring this vision to life in coordination with the overarching themes but without detracting from the wood's inherent texture, symbolism, and value. Our work also had to contribute to the architects’ objective of achieving the first mass timber facility of higher education in Canada.

Our solution needed to be delicate yet impactful, garnering attention to encourage learning and enquiry, and integrate with the College’s overarching message of Truth and Reconciliation.

The Solution

We commissioned an artist to design a visual storytelling narrative across both sides of the baffles. We installed this in a unique way by using interconnected graphics and an optically transparent film, to enhance the natural colour and texture of the wood. The intended result is that the graphics have the appearance of being painted directly onto the baffles.

The applications included IJ180Cv3 with 8520 (Matte OL) and 180mc-114 with 8520 (Matte OL) on the baffles, while a speciality canvas film was used for the ceremonial ring beam.

Our project management team completed the project's design, production, and installation in just five weeks, complying with building codes and other construction regulations.

Grand Reveal

On September 21, 2023, Centennial College officially opened its A-Building expansion.

“We are grateful to DIALOG, Smoke Architecture, EllisDon, and all of our project partners for helping to bring Centennial’s vision for A-Building to life. Only by design could the expansion embody the College’s commitments to Truth and Reconciliation the way that it does."- Dr. Craig Stephenson, President and CEO of Centennial College.

We want to thank EllisDon for the opportunity to work with them and the talented teams at DIALOG and Smoke Architecture. It has also been an immense pleasure to apply our craft and specialism at such a prestigious college—and leave a lasting impression for such a worthy endeavour.

Previously published on LInkedIn (May 13, 2024) - https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/window-film-canada-indigenous-graphic-installation-project-nhyoc/