Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre

The Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre project, known as the Wije’winen Centre, is the construction of a new purpose-built and Indigenous-led facility that will provide a new home for the Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Society (MNFS). For over 45 years, the MNFS has been a gathering place for the urban Indigenous community in Halifax, with spaces for programs and social services celebrating the Indigenous culture. As the needs of the community grew, along with its population size, the need arose for a new space, resulting in the design and construction of a new facility – the Wije’winen Centre.

The new facility will house the MNFS, provide over 60 dedicated programs and services, and include cultural and ceremonial spaces, office spaces, community spaces, classrooms, and a daycare. It will also serve as a gateway to Indigenous culture and traditions with the inclusion of a public interpretive centre that will display Mi’kmaw history and values. The strong culture and values carry over into the building’s design through intricate but culturally significant architecture and construction elements such as rounded edges and circular forms, and the inclusion of a natural bog. It is also seen in the high emphasis placed on environmental sustainability, resulting in a zero-carbon mandate target.

LMDG is working on the building code and fire protection aspects of this project, including conducting regular reviews for compliance and the preparation of an alternative solution for interconnected floor space. Additionally, with the planned use of mass timber, we worked on multiple successful alternative solutions to prescriptive compliance related to the feasibility and use of mass timber as a structural element. More specifically, these included considerations for fuel load contribution, a fire dynamics assessment, means of escape and firefighting rationalization, and integration with proposed fire mitigation features.

Renderings courtesy of Fathom Studio.