 Hotson Bakker Boniface Haden Architects + Urbanistes |
Product Description:
Project Description:
Designed to be a specific and sustainable response to the building's unique context, The Nk'Mip Desert Cultural Centre sits nestled into the desert found south of the Okanagan Valley in Osoyoos, British Columbia.
Built to celebrate the most endangered landscape in Canada, the Centre is sited adjacent to a remnant of the Great Basin Desert. At the onset of the project, it was clear the indoor and outdoor exhibits would need to coexist with their remarkable desert surroundings. They would also need to celebrate the culture and history of the Osoyoos Indian Band and support the fragile landscape and endangered species of the area.
Program elements of the building are black box exhibit space, a theatre, exterior exhibit space, and offices, all designed to attract local and international visitors to this newly created tourism destination. The project is anchored by the largest rammed-earth wall in North America. This wall was designed not only to create a constructive experience with the landscape around it, but also to engage and channel the visitors' views towards the spectacular desert. Utilization throughout the site of blue-stained pine, harvested from local forests infested by the Pine Beetle, adds a feeling of majestic tranquility, despite the tragic circumstances of the wood. The project's focus on deep sustainability acts as a guardian to the delicate landscape and reflects the core values and history of the area.
The project takes a very ambitious approach to sustainable design. Its features include:
- Largest rammed earth wall in North America
- Integrated use of blue-stained pine
- Habitable green roof
- In-slab radiant cooling and heating
- Careful water-use management
- 1,600 acres preserved as a conservation area
- Research space for the endangered rattlesnake
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