This project is intended to serve both as a community centre for the residents of Kahnawà:ke and as an interpretation centre enabling younger generations to reconnect with their roots. The centre focuses on traditional alimentation through agriculture and cooking. It includes a community kitchen and dining hall, a traditional greenhouse, an aquaponic production facility, a small residence for agricultural workers, as well as fields and gardens.

  Food is often considered a major issue within Indigenous communities. Once inherently regional and cultural in its nature, it has now often been reduced to a more Westernized version. The reduction of traditional territory through the creation of the Kahnawà:ke reserve, combined with the influence of North American culture, has made traditional food practices more difficult to maintain.

  The project therefore aims both to promote tradition through ancestral agricultural and culinary practices and to move toward a renewed food sovereignty for the community through more contemporary farming methods.

  Historically, like most members of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, the Kanien‘kehá:ka community maintained a close relationship with its territory, which was essential for agriculture, hunting, and fishing. This territory was significantly reduced through European colonization, wars, and treaties, ultimately leading to the contemporary reserve system. Since the territory now represents only a fraction of what it once was, it seems fundamental to consider Kanien‘kehá:ka voices in the design of spaces on their lands.

  However, this project was designed without consulting the community, which constitutes a significant oversight. If the project were to be undertaken again, or developed beyond the academic context, the integration of Kanien’kehà:ka perspectives and viewpoints should be prioritized. Indeed, it would be particularly regrettable to design a project on Indigenous land without the participation of First Nations members in the design process.

  Furthermore, Kahnawà:ke means “near the rapids” in Kanien‘kehá:ka, which is somewhat ironic today, as the community’s relationship with the Saint Lawrence River was severed in the 1960s through the construction of the Saint Lawrence Seaway. The entire shoreline was reshaped to allow the passage of ocean-going vessels, without the community having any say in the matter. This event deeply affected the community. The proposed site for the project is located just south of Tekakwitha Island, an artificial island created during the construction of the seaway. Does this proposal offer a way to reclaim and revalorize the shoreline, or does it instead contribute to further distance the community from it? Would another site be more appropriate for the community centre?

  Ideally, community members would be integrated into the design team as experts, fostering a collaborative relationship between designers and the community. At key stages of the design process, consultations would be conducted to ensure that the project remains aligned with the interests and needs of the community as a whole.

  In short, the autonomy of Kahnawà:ke residents should be respected by ensuring that the project is designed with and by the community, rather than solely for it.

  This project was presented at the 2026 CASA-ACÉA Student Projects Competition and was selected as a finalist in the 1st/2nd Year category.