Khupkhahpay’ay

Khupkhahpay’ay will provide 84 homes for the Vancouver urban Indigenous population. The project embraces First Nations values and draws on local Indigenous home building traditions. Consistent with this tradition, the project is constructed with mass timber, prioritizing environmental stewardship and allowing people to live in harmony and balance with nature by respectfully using natural resources. The project is designed to achieve Passive House certification. In keeping with the principles of Indigenous environmental stewardship, the proposed structure features pre-manufactures cross-laminated envelope enclosure wall panels – an innovative way to reduce the project’s greenhouse gas emissions and overall environmental footprint. The façade is envisioned as a woven cedar basket, an artistic adaption of the celebrated Coast Salish tradition and technique.