July 17, 2025
Incorporating Indigenous voices into architectural projects is a powerful way to honour the histories, identities, and relationships rooted in place. When we engage with Indigenous collaborators, not just as contributors, but as knowledge holders and co-designers, we create opportunities for dialogue, cultural exchange, and a more grounded design process. This is especially important in Canada, where nearly every site we build on is part of traditional Indigenous territory, and where design has a role to play in advancing reconciliation.
A powerful example of this is the recent installation of Our Relatives by Coast Salish artist Chris Paul in Sidney, British Columbia. From the outset, Chris was not simply brought in to “add art” to a finished building—he was embedded in the design process from the beginning. In his dual role as artist and First Nations liaison, he worked closely with the architectural team to ensure that Indigenous stories, protocols, and perspectives were meaningfully integrated into the project. Chris also helped arrange and guide key moments of cultural significance, including coordinating with the W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council to hold a ground-breaking ceremony at the start of construction, and organizing an educational event centered on Indigenous knowledge sharing. Through these efforts, he helped the team and community engage more deeply with the history and meaning of the site, beyond the building itself.
The resulting sculpture is a striking steel piece that tells a story of survival, kinship, and connection to land. Drawing on the legend of people tying themselves to an arbutus tree to escape a great flood, Paul’s work incorporates symbolic elements like cedar rope, salmon, and lightning strikes, each rooted in local oral history. The sculpture is designed to evolve with time, its weathering steel surface gradually taking on the rich orange hue of the arbutus tree, echoing the story it tells.
Our Relatives reminds us that Indigenous presence brings the built environment to life, inviting people to pause, reflect, and connect. As Paul explains, “Our history and our story are a part of something that’s today.”
Partnering with Indigenous communities and collaborators is about more than consultation, it’s about creating space for truth, perspective, and relationship to shape the places we design. When these voices are included early and intentionally, the results go beyond a single element or project. They help shape a built environment that is more connected, inclusive, and aligned with the values of truth, reconciliation, and design as a tool for social good.