Vertical Regionalism: A Pilgrimage in Canada’s Western Mountains

Abstract

Wilderness is defined as being "a wild or uncultivated region or tract of land, uninhabited, or inhabited only by wild animals" (Oxford English Dictionary 1989). But just how natural is the concept of wilderness? the idea of conserving nature suggests that we think of ourselves as something 'other' than nature, but the truth is that nature is our origin, and although this is often forgotten, it is a connection that is deeply rooted in our being. I am interested in finding an architecture that speaks to our most primal memories, acting to locate humans within nature. Through the creation of 3 mountain refuges, each a point in a larger path of pilgrimage, I will explore the connections that we as humans can share with the Canadian mountain wilderness.