WSP secures contract for Seabird Island cultural centre
February 10, 2023
By CCE
Construction is expected to begin this spring.
Photo courtesy Seabird Island Band.
British Columbia’s Seabird Island First Nation has awarded an engineering services contract to WSP in Canada for the development of a new community and cultural centre, working with Chilliwack-based Patrick Stewart Architect.
Located in the District of Kent in the Upper Fraser Valley, Seabird Island is home to around 1,000 people, with comprehensive health services, K-12 education and a college for the Seabird Island Band community. The two-storey, 20,000-sf cultural centre will be built near existing and proposed housing in a traditional longhouse style.
The facility will serve as a marshalling and temporary sheltering area during floods or fires and will be engineered with solar power and sustainability goals. It will feature timber posts, First Nations art, a second-floor mezzanine, an elders room, multi-purpose areas, a traditional round room, a commercial community kitchen, offices and a gathering hall large enough to accommodate more than 600 people.
“Our team is excited to create a design that embraces the past, present and future of Seabird Island,” says William Johnston, WSP’s senior director of property and buildings. “We are honoured to play a role in bringing this project to life.”
Construction is anticipated to begin this spring and the project is scheduled for overall completion by fall 2024.
