Literature Review on Building Envelope, Heating and ... - Beeshive.org

• High energy and transportation costs.
Architectural design strategies to address indigenous culture and the natural environment
included the following.
• Integrate a building with the natural surroundings to connect people to the land:
This approach is especially meaningful to First Nations occupants. This strategy
includes using materials that merge with the landscape in colour and texture. For
example, cast zinc panels textured similar to the rocky surrounding were used in a
building in Yellowknife, because zinc weathers to a grey patina that matches the
shades of the adjacent granite outcropping.
• Incorporate traditional symbols and materials in the design: For example, moose
antlers were used for door pulls and bearskin was used for rugs.
• Embrace an extensive consultation process with the First Nation: For example, in
the design of a seniors’ housing complex in the Northwest Territories, the
consultation process with the elders in the community was weekly and for a full year.
The resulting design included clusters of rooms modelled on traditional family
groupings, and separate smoke houses for treating meat, in the traditional way, on the
ground.
• Select a construction method that encourages local participation: Native
communities prefer log construction to the standard light wood framing, because log
construction is viewed as culturally meaningful, reminiscent of life in the bush. Log
construction has a long history among the First Nations, which they adopted from the
early Europeans traders.
• Use indigenous plants for landscaping: These plants survive with little
maintenance. Examples include fireweed and birch trees.
Architectural design strategies to address daylight extremes.
• In winter, it is desirable to harness any daylight available: Architectural strategies
include clerestory windows and strategically placed skylights to allow natural light to
penetrate into the central spaces of the building. A sequence of aligned glazed walls
provide multiple layers of transparency throughout the interior space. This strategy
allowed for light penetration into the interior space as well as for occupants to enjoy
sight lines and view colours.
• In summer, latticed window screens block sun rays: The continual oblique rays
fade exterior colours and cause glare and rapid heat buildup indoors.
Architectural design to address extreme climates included specific strategies for each
locale in the Canadian north, because moisture conditions, extreme temperature
differences, snow drifting, and permafrost vary considerably from east to west and from
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