Waposite Lake, Quebec

6000sq.ft eco-tourism lodge with sleeping accommodation for 8-12, gathering/dining for 8-24, operator suite, office, storage, and bath, kitchen and laundry facilities.  The lodge is intended to serve tourism and community functions. 

This project is the fruit of a small isolated Cree community’s determination to preserve their traditional way of life, and the consultants’ equally steadfast desire to push the definition of sustainable design in the service of a shared vision: inter-dependence with Nature. The lodge expresses the important link between traditional Cree lifestyle and the natural environment in three ways: by maintaining the environment of the Assinica preserve, by promoting a respect for traditional knowledge and by participating in the development of an ecological awareness. The triple bottom-line of environmental, social and economic sustainability has been honestly and insistently targeted through a long and thoughtful design process.

A simple parti based on the functional yet symbolically evocative Cree “shaptwan” is stepped in section to respond to the site, and weaves the highest ecological construction standards with complex socio-cultural considerations.

The building strives for minimal environmental impact through siting, construction and waste management, minimum energy use, passive over active, and low versus high tech design choices, renewable energy sources (passive and active solar, wind, wood) and natural, locally available materials.  Familiar construction techniques and building systems, simple design strategies, minimal operations requirements, and solid building materials contribute to the building’s durability.  Sweat equity is integral to the project financing, and participation on all levels key to the projects success.