UBC Totem Commonsblock Lobby
Currently, Canadians are re-examining the origin stories of Canada. Conversations are turning toward a reckoning of our nation’s systemic racism toward Indigenous peoples, including the expropriation of the land and waters. This design project does two jobs: it clearly communicates the story of the land in which the students are now living, and it creates a welcoming public space for student life.
This project brings the museum to the people and helps Canadian and international students, who pass through the space every day, to better appreciate the unique story of the land on which UBC sits, while creating a welcoming front door for their home at the same time.
Based on the Musqueam Living Culture design guidelines, the design draws from the Musqueam traditional color palette and traditional cedar plank facades with the addition of large-scale, rear-printed graphic panels. The work was reviewed and approved by the client group and Musqueam representatives. There process was highly consultative, integrating exhibit information supplied by the Musqueam Nation. This process is part of the exercise of reconciling how UBC works with Musqueam, ensuring their story is told in their own voice and approach.
University is about absorbing new ideas and reflecting on different ways of seeing the world. By embedding Indigenous teachings in the fabric of student life at UBC, these learning outcomes are reinforced and made meaningful beyond academic study. Knowing more about the land and traditional ways and perspectives of the Musqueam creates a stronger sense of place for students.
In the words of Musqueam elder, Larry Grant, “You come as a student to university to learn things, and transform yourself into the person you think you want to be in your life. However, many times you come in thinking you’re going to be one thing, but because people share resources, in the form of knowledge contained here at UBC, your life gets transformed into something else, something that you never even thought of.”
Creating comfortable public spaces for people to share and learn from each other helps to foster understanding and conversation. Spaces like this which are outside the traditional academic teaching or museum environments can help create alternative ways of learning. The Musqueam describe their approach to learning, which is refreshingly humble and open: “When we are sq̓əq̓ip (gathered together) with our families and elders, we share teachings by listening, asking questions, being open to learning from others, and acknowledging what we don’t know.”
This interior and exhibit design project transforms a typical student dormitory into a subtle but powerful place of non-traditional learning. It’s located on the Vancouver campus of the University of British Columbia, which is also the unceded traditional territory of the Musqueam Nation.