Sponsored by Pella Windows & Doors

Location: Laurentian Main campus, room C-104

1.5 ConEd Learning Hours

1.5 AIA LU
1:00 p.m. 2:30 p.m. 

A shift towards sustained, informed, respectful relationships with Indigenous communities is a key part of reconciliation with the First Peoples in Canada. By sharing their lived experience from Indigenous and non-indigenous perspectives, the panel will explore some of the issues around “Designing for Dignity” for indigenous peoples (in this case, Nunavut Inuit). The conversation will touch on both professional and client/community perspectives. Panelists will discuss their work, consultation and collaboration approaches, and lessons learned, along with some challenging questions about the perpetuation of colonial relationships. They will relate how these experiences have contributed to their personal and professional growth.

Few architectural professionals in Canada are Indigenous or have deep experience supporting Inuit in the unique arctic environments that have been their Nunangat (homeland) for millennia. The journey towards “Designing for Dignity” in this context is life-long, but the panel hopes to leave attendees with the education listed below.

Learning Objectives

1. Understand needs, opportunities, and challenges inherent to designing for remote and predominantly Inuit communities in Canada’s far north.
2.  Gain more awareness of Inuit cultural and historical context as a necessary part of respectful and constructive engagement between architectural professionals and these communities.
3. Learn examples of consultation and collaboration approaches informed through extensive working relationships with Inuit clients and end-users.
4. Understand suggestions for additional knowledge resources and information regarding opportunities to provide services.

Wayne Olson, OAA, LEED AP, is an architect and owner of Arctic Strategies Consulting, a firm that provides strategic planning and project support for housing and infrastructure investment in northern, remote, and Indigenous communities. He has been privileged to live, travel, explore, and work in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut as a graduate architect based in Yellowknife, as Director of Infrastructure for the Government of Nunavut, and most recently in the role of consultant Project Director for Nunavut Housing Corporation’s $2.7B eight-year partnership to deliver 3,000 new social, affordable, and market housing units across 25 predominantly Inuit communities. He has 30 years of experience in senior roles, supporting the planning, design, and delivery of billions of dollars in public-sector infrastructure, commercial, and institutional facilities, and housing. 

Pitseolak Pfeiffer, an Inuk born and raised in Iqaluit, Nunavut, is President and CEO of Inuit Solutions, a management consulting and community engagement company dedicated to improving the social and economic outcomes of Inuit communities through collaborative and inclusive approaches to business, research, and governance. Building on his 20-plus years of middle and senior management expertise advocating for Inuit communities and on his MA in Northern Studies, Pitseolak works toward strengthening the value of Inuit knowledge across sectors of activity and in projects that he hopes inspire others in the service of their communities. He has designed and delivered workshops, lectures, and training seminars with students and Indigenous-focused practitioners. He has authored journal articles and written pieces that encourage readers to pause when considering policies and programs that affect Inuit communities. Pitseolak loves trying out new recipes, being with family, and spending time in Iqaluit.

Justin Leclair is an architect with Parkin Architect’s Ottawa office and had been leading design work for the Arctic sector since 2008. His most recent work in the Territory of Nunavut includes three schools where each project presented new opportunities for culturally appropriate design guided by community input. The concept of ‘Qaggiq,’ which means a centralized communal gathering area, continues to be a key design feature in all educational projects. As he engaged in collaborative processes and the design of numerous community projects across Nunavut, Justin expanded his understanding of the important concepts of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit—that which Inuit have always known to be true. IQ embraces all aspects of traditional Inuit culture, and is one of his guiding principle for the design of education, healthcare, and justice facilities in Nunavut.