Toronto-based DIALOG has completed the A-Building Expansion at Centennial College in Scarborough, Ontario. Designed in collaboration with Smoke Architecture, and described by the team as “Canada’s first LEED Gold, zero carbon, WELL certified, mass timber, higher-education facility,” the newly completed scheme “seamlessly blends Indigenous perspectives, sustainability and innovative architecture.”

The project provides 133,000 square feet of new construction in addition to 16,000 square feet of existing renovations. Paying homage to Indigenous traditions and nature-inspired sustainability, the scheme is rooted in the Mi’kmaq concept of “Two-Eyed Seeing,” which “harmonizes Indigenous wisdom and Western perspectives.”

Inspired by how the traditional Anishinaabe Wigwams were designed with their skin pulled up in the summer for air circulation, the team incorporated that same concept for the building envelope at the corner of the building. The building’s facade sees a blend of contemporary materials and Indigenous reflections, with aluminum panels shaped like fish scales and detailed with contemporary parametric software.

At the heart of the scheme is the Indigenous Commons: a dome-shaped social and performative space influenced by Anishinaabe Roundhouse principles and “connecting the building with the earth and sky.” According to the team, the design of the space also “aligns with the sacred medicine wheel teachings, celebrating a continuous cycle of growth, balance, and unity with the inclusion of elements like the Balance Centrestone (basalt plinths symbolizing equilibrium) and the Indigenous Commons (a dome designed based on Anishinaabe roundhouse principles).”

"What was refreshing about this project was Centennial College’s requirement that the design be rooted in an Indigenous notion of natural systems and the poetry of Indigenous culture," said DIALOG partner Craig Applegath. "The idea of an Indigenous narrative was important for our team, and inspired key elements of the design that were contemplated through this lens.”

The scheme relies heavily on mass timber, chosen to symbolically align with Indigenous teaching lodges built from renewable, fast-growing saplings. The structural system uses sustainably harvested mass timber glulam posts and beams that support cross-laminated timber floor panels. Meanwhile, 5% of the building’s energy requirements are powered by solar PV renewable energy.

“When we listen carefully to our knowledge carriers and Elders, the students, faculty, and people who will do work here, the places we create have life. This is a place that remembers its stories,” said Eladia Smoke, Principal of Smoke Architecture. “This is a heart building. Teachings about ode' (heart) are critical, as a sincere commitment to uphold our responsibilities to each other and the life systems that support us.”