Vancouver's Indigenous Identity: Representing a Narrative

Abstract

As an estranged site that defines a gap along the recreational and accessible water’s edge in Vancouver, it is odd to fi find prime real estate left desolate. With research, the issue of the site was evidently much grander than simply continuing the atmosphere of the seawall. The site along the seawall is an Indigenous land referred to as Kitsilano No. 6, and it belongs to the Squamish (Skwxwú7mesh) Nation People. It is a matter of acknowledging an existing Indigenous culture, and how it needs to be addressed in the identity of Vancouver. Public architecture’s role in the social realm can be used to illustrate the Vancouver’s Indigenous identity in the narrative of Vancouver. The content of this research includes studying the identity of Vancouver as ‘place’, land ownership, and the decorative qualities of the Coast Salish people. These studies will help form the typology, situation, program and materials that will be used as a methodology for this architectural design thesis. The intention is to develop an architectural design to interpret the narrative of Vancouver’s colonial history and acknowledge the culture of the regional First Nations in the urban landscape. Altogether, a ‘Cultural Interpretive Centre’ will be formed to create a pedological experience for the public.