Viewed through this lens, the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology offers a compelling case study in to the possibilities of an ap- proach to sustainable architecture drawing inspiration from regional and local condi- tions and populations. Located on a for- ested, south-facing slope on the outskirts of Merritt, in the interior of British Columbia, this new 4,500 m 2 post-secondary institute has been recognized not only for its green merits, but has also received prestigious design awards, including the Architectural Institute of B.C.’s Lieutenant-Governor’s Award and a Governor General’s Medal for Architecture. The design team consulted with aboriginal elders from five local bands to address the needs of a modern academic institution while acknowledging the significant features of the site and the heritage and culture of the native students. A combination of environmental and cultural considerations influenced the site design, construction process, material strategies and the selection of systems for water and energy conserva- tion. One manifestation of this is that the building orientation seeks to satisfy both cultural and climatic concerns, addressing the cardinal directions and locating the main entrance so that it faces the morning sun to
the east, following aboriginal tradition. In response to the sloping site, the building is embedded in the ground at its north end and emerges to become a three-storey structure at its south end. Climatically, the Nicola Valley experiences hot dry summers and moderately cold winters, which led local aboriginal people to devise two highly pragmatic forms of shelter; the teepee, a simple and efficient ventilation structure that promoted cooling by convection, and in winter, the pit house, an earth-sheltered structure built with a southern orientation to maximize solar heat gains and which relied on thermal mass to minimize heat loss. Without resorting to overt formal references, NVIT uses envi- ronmental principles drawn from each of these earlier models: the principles of the tepee are embodied in a two-storey atrium that rises up to a glazed roof lantern with operable windows for natural ventilation; the precedent of the pit house is reflected in the building’s embedding in the landscape. Using these principles as a basis for design, state-of-the-art energy modeling techniques were used to develop a fully integrated envi- ronmental system with advanced controls to optimize performance.
Wood is used sparingly to emphasize its structural and visual qualities, and its value as a natural resource: glue-laminated Douglas fir columns support concrete floor slabs, with cast steel capitals and bases transferring loads. The primary building envelope consists of a faceted modular wood frame rainscreen wall, clad horizontally with Alaskan yellow cedar which, left untreated, will age to a silver grey and blend with the landscape and surrounding vegetation. Op- erable tilt-and-turn windows provide natural ventilation and are shaded by adjustable wooden louvres. NVIT is distinguished from other recent work for First Nations clients in B.C. where the architecture has drawn heavily on tradi- tional building forms and techniques. The approach taken at NVIT draws on the cultur- al context for intrinsic cultural values rather than symbols and metaphors, addressing the broader implications of the aboriginal relationship to nature. NVIT demonstrates how First Nations clients can express their cultural identity not through the sentimental replication of traditional formal typology, but by espousing the principles of green building in a contemporary re-interpretation of the imperative of environmental steward- ship.
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