Often when foreigners think of the Canadian Arctic, the first thing that comes to their minds is the “Great White North”.
Oh, and igloos.
Sure, caribou are easier to be found than humans near the Arctic. In fact, it was just 70 years ago when the first highway connected this remote part of our country with the rest of Canada. And while most of the season is cold, northern inhabitants also need to deal with continuous sunlight in summer. So how does one design with these constraints in Whitehorse, Yukon?
In a remote community, it’s critical to make effective use of the available local materials. After all, it’s not like you can import Brazilian Ipe wood easily and at a low expense. So imagine the challenges associated with building in the arctic, where adaptation is necessary and, fortunately results in innovation. Kobayashi+Zedda Architects, who designed the Women’s Living Unit, believes that good northern architecture needs to bridge the extremes of climate in an effort to bring balance and harmony.
While architecture is about stimulating the senses, expressing emotion, triggering a memory, telling a story and creating a sense of belonging, above the 60th parallel Kobayashi+Zedda Architects had the task of manipulating the design elements and existing materials to create a sense of warmth due to the extreme climate.
This 1800 square foot building was designed to be residential in scale while serving as a medium security correctional centre for female inmates. The 9 bed facility embraces a residential character, where inmates can prepare their own meals and the freedom to access the secured grounds. Unfortunately, the building is no longer used as a residence for female inmates. The female inmates were relocated to the new Whitehorse Correctional Centre when it opened in 2012. It has since been decommissioned into an alternate use.
Photographs Courtesy of Kobayashi+Zedda Architects
To capture as much light as possible, exterior windows have been aligned with the cardinal points, to capture the rising and setting of the sun. A sloping berm and wood soffit offer a contrast against the sharp 90 degree walls and corners.
While I don’t know the architect’s reasoning, the warm wood soffit makes me question the building’s location. Without the surrounding snow, this building looks like it could be found elsewhere in Canada. The butterfly roof form can easily be found in British Columbia, where they use this design to catch water for grey water recycling. The interior looks like any modern Canadian home. So, for me, this building symbolizes that perhaps we do have a ‘Canadian style’. However, when I look closely, the entrance looks a bit similar to an igloo’s entrance, where one may feel as if they’re entering a protective structure. Which compels me to think this building is subtly triggering a memory for its users. I believe the cultural image of the ‘igloo’ is so strong it permeates the design process up north.
Am I correct, or am I projecting?
What do you think?
Want to learn more? Go to Kobayashi+Zedda Architects, a multi-disciplinary team of 10 personnel including urban planners, architects, general contractors and carpenters. They are deeply involved in the transformation of downtown Whitehorse into a vibrant living and working community, KZA believe in compact pedestrian friendly built environment, where building design is a reflection of the conditions unique to this part of the world.
Researched and Written by Silvialy Tjhin, Master of Architecture Candidate at University of Toronto
