OLd CROW COmmuNiTY CENTRE recreation

And Community Building

firm: kobayashi+zedda location: Old Crow, YT client: Vuntut Gwitchin

First Nation Government date: completion- fall 2021

KZA was retained to design a replacement community centre for the fly-in community of Old Crow. It is a small village of approximately 220, located at 67.5 ° N. Traditionally, the local people are reliant on the migratory caribou herds which roam through the region for clothing, sustenance and shelter. One method of hunting includes using a fence structure, which inspired the exterior cladding.

The existing hall is a wooden building in a circular shape, both aspects which the community requested be replicated in the new facility to reflect the egalitarian and community focused ideals of the culture. The design team took the cue of the circle and developed an NLT, steel and glulam tension structure reminicent of a wheel or an object woven in the round to support the clear span of the main hall. My role in the project started with site analysis, programming and parti drawings, and progressed through to interior and exterior design, modelling, rendering and selection of finishes.

The preliminary design of the community centre included a reception in front of the admin offices and meeting room. I prepared a design for this area which included a Corian topped and caribou hide fronted desk with an accessible height section. This desk was proposed to be located in a lower height wedge of space off of the central entry hall. The dark finishes would would provide a contrasting backdrop to the desk and an instalation of caribou antlers, piles of which can be found throughout the village.