Inuusirvik Community Wellness Hub wins Canadian Architecture Award of Merit
Lateral Office, a firm co-founded by School of Architecture Professor Lola Sheppard, has been named as a 2023 Canadian Architecture Award of Merit recipient for their Inuusirvik Community Wellness Hub project.
The Inuusirvik Community Wellness Hub (ICWH) is an inter-generational non-profit wellness, research, education, and community hub located in Iqaluit, Nunavut. Inuusirvik means “a place for being well and living a good life.” The building utilizes the practical modular building techniques necessary for the North, but introduces colour and setbacks to the massing to make a building that will stand out and welcome the community.
Since 1967 Canadian Architect has sponsored an annual national awards program recognizing future projects.
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Arriving at the rotunda “drum” space, visitors and staff are at the social and collaborative heart of the Hub.
ICWH is made up of a holistic and inter-connected organizations such as a a daycare, a land education organization, a community space, a wellness library, and a health research centre.
Inuusirvik Community Wellness Hub serves as a model for densifying the downtown core, and for exploring what might be a new northern vernacular.
The building is compact and addresses the street with minimal setback to encourage urbanization of the downtown core.
The front of the Hub offers a formal entrance, while the back supports play and views to Frobisher Bay.
