Project Sectors
HISTORY
Lubicon Lake Band is a Cree First Nation community located in the boreal forest of Northern Alberta. When Treaty 8 was signed in 1899, it was overlooked by treaty commissioners; and it took until 2018 for the Government of Canada to recognize Lubicon’s treaty rights. This settlement empowered Lubicon with the opportunity to design and build their community from the ground up.
Reimagine partnered with Bosgoed Project Consultants and Associated Engineering to deliver the Pre-Design and Feasibility Studies for the Lubicon Lake Band Community Infrastructure Project, which maps out a comprehensive plan for Lubicon’s community infrastructure and services: including two potential concepts for a new Community Health & Healing Centre.
To learn more about the Community Masterplanning at Lubicon, click here.
VISION
Over the course of the study, two concepts were developed for Lubicon Lake Band to consider. The first option was a standalone community health and healing centre; the second was a facility that combined the health centre with an Elders’ residence. Ultimately, the first option was chosen as Lubicon’s path forward.
The Community Health & Healing Centre is close to the new Elders’ Residence, to facilitate collaboration, yet removed from other programming to offer more privacy and intimate integration with the surrounding landscape.
Guided by the principles of Healing Architecture, the space acknowledges the myriad layers of all things: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. It is a place where not only patients can find healing, but also the collective. Staff, visiting professionals and the broader community can experience an accessible space for healing at all times.
There is an elegant balance between public and private in the building. Public programming, such as the Community Health Room, waiting area, and reception, are countered by private spaces, including a traditional medicine room, psychologist rooms, office space and NNADAP office. Public spaces are accessible from one entrance, while private areas are accessible from a second entrance, which offers a more intimate corridor featuring privacy screens.
SUSTAINABLE DESIGN
The Community Health & Healing Centre is designed to offer a long service life to Lubicon Lake Band, and to this end, several sustainable design strategies have been used to improve the indoor environment, reduce energy consumption and make the facility more durable. A complete life-cycle costing analysis was conducted to map out the trajectory of the building’s lifespan. Although no third-party certification is planned, the building has been conceptualized using LEED-inspired strategies to ensure that it is a healthy offering for the community and its environment.
