Nawalakw Cultural Healing Centre

The Challenge?

Build a 2,500 square foot cultural healing centre powered with solar electricity on the remote Central Coast of British Columbia. Add in a 700 square foot workshop, wastewater treatment, drinking water well, barge ramp, dock, canoe storage, fire pit and meeting area. Plus, clear and construct 200 metres of forest road. 

The Crux?

The site is on remote unserviced land that needs to first be cleared with minimal impact to the surrounding environment. It has unique archaeological, environmental and geotechnical considerations. 

70 kilometres from the northern tip of Vancouver Island sits the site for one of the most fascinating projects we have ever worked on as a company. The Nawalakw Cultural Healing Centre, located deep in the Great Bear Rainforest. Nawalakw Healing Society's goal is to develop a healing centre focused on language and cultural resurgence. It will be supported by an ecotourism enterprise onsite.

Their vision includes re-asserting a presence on this traditional territory. It involves re-establishing a stewardship role, and reconnecting to traditional culture and language. Nawalakw will serve as a catalyst for social change and become the first place on earth where Kwak'wala is again spoken immersively.

The Nawalakw Healing Society brought us on board for two parts of the project: to consult on building at their remote location and to construct the entire design.

What did this entail? First, it involved establishing a 10 bedroom float camp to house workers and consultants. Then, consulting with diverse stakeholders groups including First Nations, consultants, government agencies and partners to build a consistent vision for the project and get it off the ground.

We are presently entering the first phase of the construction process, after several site visits and careful planning. Due to the site's remote location, all materials will have to be barged in. This makes it necessary for a precise procurement process, with no room for guesswork.

The build will take place in a remote unserviced area, with no support facilities nearby. Building on the site involves unique archaeological, environmental and geotechnical considerations. This will mean new challenges, like developing a local gravel source to meet engineer specifications and maintain budget. It will mean unique road design to minimize the impact to archaeological resources. Designs with minimized materials to reduce transportation costs. An emphasis will be placed on prefabricated and modular construction to reduce the time spent on site. This will expedite the construction schedule and reduce the cost of camp. We will even have to set up a temporary barge ramp and then remove it after construction to mitigate the impact to fish and fish habitat!

It's an ambitious project, and we are so excited to the ones to carry it out.

Location:
Hada (Bond Sound), Great Bear Rainforest, Central Coast Mainland British Columbia 

Date:
2020

Client:
Nawalakw Healing Society

Scope:
• Consulting
• Construction Management