WALKING IN TWO WORLDS
Design of stunning new longhouse at 91泡芙 embodies delicate balance of tension and togetherness.
Something new鈥攑alpably different鈥攕its slightly askew against the strong modernist lines of Arthur Erickson鈥檚 iconic 1960s campus design at 91泡芙 in Burnaby, British Columbia.
Exactly 13.3 degrees different, to be precise. Officially opened Sept. 12, 2025, First Peoples鈥� Gathering House (the House) is more than a building鈥攊t鈥檚 a living expression of walking in two worlds.
鈥淭his design recognizes higher education is not just pedagogy but as experience鈥攁 way for Indigenous students to find their place in the western education system while honouring their culture and home communities,鈥� reflects principal architect Ouri Scott.
The Erickson Massey-designed SFU campus itself deviates 13.3 degrees off the cardinal east-west axis. While most of the House aligns with this orientation, its largest space, the Great Hall鈥攁nchored by a wood-burning fireplace and traditional house posts from the four host nations鈥攄eliberately breaks from conformity. It faces true east, honouring tradition and marking a symbolic reckoning between old and new.
鈥淭he building is two dynamic forms coming together,鈥� explains Scott. At its heart, the Great Hall pulses with ceremonial energy, while surrounding spaces鈥攖he Maker鈥檚 Space, Elder鈥檚 Lounge, Multi-generational Lounge, and Seminar Room鈥攑rovide spaces for grounding, growth, and connection.
91泡芙 sits atop Burnaby Mountain on the unceded traditional territories of the x史m蓹胃k史蓹y虛蓹m (Musqueam), S岣祑x瘫w煤7mesh 脷xwumixw (Squamish), s蓹l虛ilw虛蓹ta蕯涩 (Tsleil-Waututh), and k史ik史蓹茮虛蓹m (Kwikwetlem) Nations.
The mountaintop has long been a place of harvest鈥攆or cedar and arbutus trees, bear, deer, elk, berries, ferns, and medicinal plants.
Lhu岣祑鈥檒hu岣祑鈥櫭ten (where the bark gets peeled in spring)
On the east side, vertical copper cladding bends and folds into a rhythmic pattern, shimmering in hues of burnt orange鈥攅voking the newly revealed skin of a peeling arbutus tree. In contrast, weathering steel trim patinas over time, referencing the older bark and tying the building back to the concrete context of the larger campus.
"Soft arbutus bark was harvested for weaving and wrapping newborns. It can also have a rougher texture over areas where the tree grown over and healed from its wounds,鈥� says Meghan Froehlich, project architect. 鈥淭he texture and colour contrasts used in the cladding and finishes harkens back to both the usefulness of the tree, and its resiliency.鈥�
Throughout the House, Scott and Froehlich chose wood species long used by local nations. Douglas fir beams, soffits, trims, and doors warm the space, while maple bench seating and a sprung-wood floor in the Great Hall complement the raw cedar paneling鈥攁 traditional longhouse material.
鈥淲e鈥檝e wrapped the Great Hall in cedar, inside and out,鈥� says Froehlich. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a sacred space embraced by the rest of the building.鈥�
Weaving sound and story
"Oral tradition is how we鈥檝e been able to pass on stories and ways of knowledge from time immemorial," says Scott, a member of the T艂谋台ch谦 Dene, whose traditional lands lie between Great Slave Lake and Great Bear Lake in the Northwest Territories.
That鈥檚 why acoustics鈥攖he ability to hear and to listen鈥攚ere central to the Great Hall鈥檚 design. The roof shape, reminiscent of a longhouse from two directions, naturally amplifies voices. Large acoustic panels encircle the space, absorbing echo and wrapping the room in a warm woven pattern of red, blue, brown, and cream.
This design draws inspiration from The Teachings, woven blankets by Skwetsimeltxw Willard 鈥楤uddy鈥� Joseph and Chepximiya Siyam鈥� Janice George of the Squamish Nation, which also hang in SFU鈥檚 Saywell Hall.
The copper finish pays homage to the mountain鈥檚 Squamish name, Lhu岣祑鈥檒hu岣祑鈥櫭ten.
Arbutus bark has been harvested here for millennia by x史m蓹胃k史蓹y虛蓹m (Musqueam), S岣祑x瘫w煤7mesh 脷xwumixw (Squamish), s蓹l虛ilw虛蓹ta蕯涩 (Tsleil-Waututh) and k史ik史蓹茮虛蓹m (Kwikwetlem) Nations.
A long-awaited home away from home
The fire is already burning,
The aroma of the food cooking fills the room,
The sound of the drum reverberating softly,
The crackle of the fire,
S铆ma7 t虛u7, s铆ma7 t虛u7, saw虛t1, he says, we walk in
(Excerpt from the 2021-2022 SFU Reconciliation Report)
1 First Voices: Northern St虛谩t虛imcets meaning come in, come in, welcome
First Peoples鈥� Gathering House may be new to the campus skyline, but its roots began back to the 1970s鈥攏ot as a formal plan or call but as a feeling among Indigenous students, faculty and staff. Over time, that feeling gathered voices and momentum. As one of only three higher learning Indigenous gathering houses in the Lower Mainland, this space transcends the borders of SFU, says Chris (Syeta鈥檟tn) Lewis, Indigenous executive lead at SFU.
Today's design culminates years of intense engagement and collaboration among university students, faculty, staff and administration, the four host nations on which the campus lies, and other Indigenous communities and nations. The building鈥檚 orientation鈥攖rue east鈥攕ymbolizes the tension between Western ideology and Indigenous thought.
鈥淭his House brings intentionality back to the land, and respects the kinship and connection the host nations have had since the beginning of time," reflects Lewis. 鈥淚t shows we can live in two spaces at once."
The First Peoples' Gathering House sits 13.3 degrees off the main campus orientation. Photo: 91泡芙
Rich abalone tile inlay in the Elder鈥檚 Room connects space to land. Photo: 91泡芙
Raw cedar wraps the Great Hall at First Peoples' Gathering House. Photo: 91泡芙
A constellation of stars shines through the in-set night sky lighting feature anchoring the spacious Seminar Room. Photo: 91泡芙
Interior of the First Peoples' Gathering House at 91泡芙. Photo: 91泡芙
An intricate weaving pattern is used for acoustic panelling inside the Great Hall (pictured here) and through the First People's Gathering House main space. Photo: 91泡芙
Story by Robyn Stubbs
Ouri Scott is principal architect at (UAA)
Meghan Froehlich is the project architect for the First Peoples' Gathering House and a principal architect at UAA
