OKANAGAN INDIAN BAND CULTURAL IMMERSION SCHOOL Vernon, BC
The Okanagan Indian Band Cultural Immersion School conveys the history, language, craft, and traditions of the Inkumupulux people. With Inkumupulux meaning “Head of the Lake,” the building’s inspiration comes from wanting to express the movement and energy inherent in water. The building’s cultural expression is captured in the wave-like canopy forms that protect from the sun and natural elements. The form of the canopies change depending on the space’s orientation of, with those south facing having more comprehensive canopies applied to them for greater protection. The design of the building’s interior incorporates culturally appropriate expressions of the Inkumupulux people such as murals, sculptures, language examples and an aquarium exhibiting the traditional aquatic species on which the community has depended for sustenance.