WLFN Osprey Nest - A return to the shoreline of William’s Lake

WLFN Osprey Nest - A return to the shoreline of William’s Lake

This webinar is part of the RAIC 2024 Conference on Architecture, now available to stream!

Topics: History, Heritage and Culture

Length: 1 hour | What's Included: Video, Quiz, and Certificate of Completion
 

The Osprey Nest, a small mass timber 4 Lofts & a Restaurant, now under construction, is more than just a new economic development for Williams Lake First Nation (WLFN). The project speaks to WLFN’s commitment to reconcile and foster alliances that is now represented in the first public gathering place, a return, to the shoreline of William’s Lake. This session is a dialogue between delegates and WLFN team including Chief Willie Sellars, CEO and the architect.

Part one of the session will highlight the past and current economic growth strategies the WLFN have developed on a number of their Indian Reserve Lands, in and around the city, and how the Osprey Nest aligns with WLFN’s vision of   ‘Culturally Centred & Future Focused’.

Part two part of the session will focus on how this design build project went from the intro to architect, online workshop to WLFN approval within a month, ground work three months later and scheduled opening Early 2024.

By the completion of this session, participants will be able to:

• Recognize First Nation focused leadership and how an aligned small team can expedite economic growth
• Discuss cultural commitment and how it can provide a renewed gathering place for all
• Investigate ways to reunite a city with its shorelines in northern communities
• Formulate ways to incorporate knowledge into the way projects will be delivered in future

Subject Matter Experts:

Michael McNaught
Architect AIBC, MRAIC
Architect, m²_Architecture

Michael McNaught formed m²_Architecture Inc., in February 2017, to pursue projects that express three elements: the culture that created the programmatic vision, the community that defines the place and the distant views that tether its position with the world. Michael spent over 20 years leading award-winning projects that speak of the collaborative cultural process he has evolved and garnered the respect of clients and consultants while he was the Civic Sector leader at Stantec and the Design Director and Post Secondary Director at CEI (now HDR/CEI). 'Never is the Centre' is a mantra of m²_Architecture, in that, there is never a singularity but a duality, a twinning of cultural ideas, that creates the most memorable human endeavors. In architecture its the twinning of the stakeholders vision with a team that can realize that and truly generate a place that has cultural meaning with the past, speaks to the present and resonates into the future.

Chief Willie Sellars, WLFN
Chief, WLFN

Willie Sellars was born and raised in Williams Lake, BC, and is a member of the Williams Lake First Nation (“WLFN” or “T’exelc”) of the Secwepemc Nation. Elected onto WLFN Council at the age of 24 in 2008, Willie was one of the youngest elected Councillors in WLFN history. After serving 10 years on Council, he was elected as the Chief of the Williams Lake First Nation in 2018 and re-elected in 2022.

Willie is also a published author of “Dipnetting with Dad,” which won a Moonbeam Children’s Book Award, and was shortlisted for the Chocolate Lily, Shining Willow, and Ontario Library Association awards. His last book, “Hockey with Dad,” released in the Fall of 2021. Willie enjoys his family time with his four kids, playing hockey, powwow dancing, attending community events at WLFN, dipnetting, and playing fastball.