Ziibiing Featured in Canadian Architect

Ziibiing, the Indigenous landscape at the University of Toronto located outside of Hart House, was featured in this month’s issue of Canadian Architect, showcasing the project as a space for “ceremony, celebration, and education”. From the article:

“For millennia, Taddle Creek was an important resource and waterway for Indigenous peoples living on or near the land that, in the mid-19th century, became the University of Toronto’s main campus. There are painful parallels between Canadian Indigenous history and this creek, which was driven underground when it impeded the city’s growth. Ziibiing (Anishinaabemowin for “River”) remembers the creek and that human history. The project is a U of T response to a Truth and Reconciliation Commission call for “the creation of significant dedicated Indigenous space” on the St. George Campus, including “outdoor space appropriate for Indigenous spiritual needs.”

Ryan Gorrie is the Brook McIlroy principal who leads the Toronto-based practice’s Winnipeg office and its Indigenous Design Studio, which designed Ziibiing. “I think our job as Indigenous designers is to take cultural ideas and push them forward through modern means, but also provide interpretations that allow layering,” says Gorrie, a member of Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek (Sand Point First Nation on Lake Nipigon). Through consultation with U of T-affiliated Elders, Indigenous students, and faculty of architecture, landscape, and design students, the design team sought to create meaningful, welcoming, contemporary space for ceremonies, celebrations, education, and contemplation.”

Read the full article below or see the project page here.