Odeyto Indigenous Centre
| Odeyto Indigenous Centre | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Indigenous architecture |
| Address | 1750 Finch Avenue East |
| Town or city | North York, Toronto |
| Country | Canada |
| Coordinates | 43°47′47″N 79°20′56″W / 43.796281°N 79.348808°W |
| Completed | 2018 |
| Cost | $2.8 million Canadian |
| Owner | Seneca College |
| Technical details | |
| Floor area | 167 square metres (1,800 sq ft) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Gow Hasting Architects Two Row Architects |
Odeyto Indigenous Centre is a purpose-built Indigenous student space on Seneca College's Newnham Campus in North York, Toronto, Canada.[1] Odeyto provides a space where Indigenous students can feel safe and connected to their communities when away from home, while also rediscovering and practicing their traditions.[2]
Gow Hasting Architects (project team: Valerie Gow, Jim Burkitt, Graham Bolton, and Courtney Klein)[3] designed the building in partnership with Two Row Architect, a native-owned firm from the Six Nations reserve in southern Ontario.[4] Their collaboration not only embeds Indigenous knowledge into the design but is also created a significant contribution to Indigenous Architecture.[2] Azure magazine wrote, "Odeyto pays more than lip service to the implementation of Native building practices, giving gorgeous physical form to an important – and long-neglected – aesthetic."[5]
History[edit]
The name Odeyto means “The Good Journey” in Anishinaabe.[6] Odeyto Indigenous Centre was a joint effort of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Seneca College, and the provincial government.[2] The project renovated and expanded an existing classroom space for $2.8 million Canadian.[2][7] The building serves as a venue for Indigenous cultural and social events and is also used for studying, tutoring, and counseling.[8]
Each year, Seneca College has between 400 and 700 students who identify as Indigenous.[7][6] The college's purpose-built Odeyto allows these students to feel valued, engage and bond with the Seneca community, and reclaim their space by celebrating Indigenous culture.[7][6] Students from other campuses come to the Newnham Campus to join in ceremonies and feasts at Odeyto such as the day-long Tasewung feast.[7] For this event, participants assemble dishes that remind them of a loved one who has passed onto the spirit world and share stories that celebrate the life of their loved ones.[7] Odeyto is also a place where students engage in story-telling with Elders.[9]
Design[edit]
Gow Hasting Architects and Two Row Architect developed a building with a warm, organic curvilinear form that contrasts with the colonial grid structures elsewhere on campus.[6][2] Brian Porter and Matthew Hickey of Two Row Architect came up with a design concept inspired by an upturned, resting canoe, symbolizing the students' stop at Seneca College to gather knowledge before continuing on life's journey.[2][6][7] The 167 square metres (1,800 sq ft) building is also "docked" alongside a contrasting precast concrete building.[2][6]
Odeyto Indigenous Centre's exterior is clad with triangular zinc shingles that are folded and interlocked to replicate the White Pine Tree of Peace, a symbol of the Haudenosaunee wampum belt.[4][6] This design stemmed from folding pieces of paper together.[9] The zinc shingles also have a faint glimmer that replicates fish scales.[6]
The building's entrance doors are painted red, inspiring those who enter to “walk the red road” which means to live a life of "respect, humility, and truthfulness."[6] The color red is also a reminder of Canada's missing and murdered Indigenous women and children.[6] The entrances are oriented with consideration of Indigenous tradition. One is facing the east which represents birth, and the other faces the west which represents death.[7] These glass entrances also align with the summer solstice.[2]
Indigenous culture and teachings are also symbolically embedded throughout the building's interior; a dominant feature being its Haudenosaunee longhouse typology.[6] The curves of the exterior "create a warm, womb-like interior."[2] The structure has a vaulted ceiling supported by 28 Douglas fir ribs—each rib represents a day of the lunar cycle.[6][4] These delicate and light ribs are similar to the ribs found on the underside of a birch bark canoe.[6] In addition, the building is decorated with contemporary art by Kent Monkman and Steven Paul Judd, both Indigenous Canadian artists.[7] Neon art by Joi Arcand spells out "Don't Be Ashamed" in the Cree language.[7]
The center's main lounge is generously sized for celebrations and traditional ceremonies such as smudging.[9] Its kitchen enables students to gather to prepare and share food, honoring a core tenet of Indigenous culture.[7] The kitchen has fluted ceramic tiles that relate to the nearby artwork, "Dish with One Spoon wampum land acknowledgment belt."[4] The building also has counseling offices and student work areas.[2]
Odeyto is situated in the center of a green space that landscape architect firm Forrec designed.[10] The grounds are divided into two separate gardens, representing the Boreal and Carolinian biomes where the First Peoples in Ontario have lived for thousands of years.[2] The western garden features conifers while the eastern garden is a deciduous medicine garden.[6] The interior programming spaces are close to the outdoor garden so it can be easily utilized for traditional teachings and ceremonies.[2]
In June each year, the building's primary circulation axis aligns with the summer solstice, a time when many Indigenous people celebrate traditional sunrise ceremonies.[6] The arc of the building's interior matches the sun's path on the solstice.[7]
Awards[edit]
- 10 Best Canadian Architecture Projects: Best Implementation of Native Building Practises, Azure magazine, 2018[5]
- Public Buildings in Context Award of Merit, Toronto Urban Design Awards, City of Toronto, 2019[1]
- Design and Building Award citation by Wood Design magazine, 2021 [11]
- Gold Winner for Public Building / Higher Education & Research Building, Grand Prix Du Design Awards, 14th edition, INT Design, 2021[12][10]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Lam, Elsa (2019-09-12). "Tory Announces New Design-First Initiatives at Toronto Urban Design Awards". Canadian Architect. Retrieved 2022-04-08.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Odeyto Indigenous Centre | Gow Hastings Architects". Archello. Retrieved 2022-09-14.
- ^ "SENECA COLLEGE ODEYTO INDIGENOUS CENTRE". Gow Hastings Architects. Retrieved 1 Jan 2023.
- ^ a b c d Collins, R. (2021-01-14). "Odeyto -". greatlakesbydesign.com. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
- ^ a b "The 10 Best Canadian Architecture Projects of 2018". Azure Magazine. 2018-12-21. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Dolick, Paul (2019). "The Good Journey". The Canadian Architect. 64 (5): 66.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Douglas, Richard (2019). "A Good Journey Continues". RED: A Publication of the Seneca Community. pp. 16–21.
- ^ Miller, Jason (2019). "Indigenous Centre Is Home Away from Home for Students; Purpose-Built Spaces, Like Seneca's Odeyto, Give People Room to Participate in Culture". Toronto Star. pp. GT1.
- ^ a b c O’Reilly, Dan. "Seneca's New Indigenous Centre Reflects 'the Good Journey". Daily Commercial News. pp. 1–3.
- ^ a b "Seneca College Odeyto Indigenous Centre". INT Design. Retrieved 2022-04-08.
- ^ "Wood Design & Building Award Winners Announced". Canadian Architect. 2021-03-24. Retrieved 2022-04-08.
- ^ Gadoury, Brigitte. "Grands Prix De Design Awards 14th edition". INT Design (in French). Retrieved 2022-09-15.
Bibliography[edit]
- Grant, Elizabeth and Greenop, Kelly and Refiti, Albert L., and Glenn, Daniel J., eds. Handbook of Contemporary Indigenous Architecture. S.l.: SPRINGER, 2018.