Luugigyoo | Patrick Robert Reid Stewart

 

aam wilaa wilsima luugigyoothl way (Hello, my Nisga’a name is Luugigyoo [meaning, calm waters]). My English name is Patrick Stewart. I am a member of the Killerwhale House of Daaxan of the Nisga’a Nation. I have operated my firm, Patrick R. Stewart Architect, for 26 years. I was the first architect of First Nations ancestry in B.C. to own and operate an architectural firm in B.C. (1995) and the first person of First Nations ancestry elected as President of the Architectural Institute of British Columbia (2005-2007). I have chaired the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) Indigenous Task Force since 2015, and have co-chaired the RAIC Truth and Reconciliation Task Force since 2019 and have chaired the Provincial Aboriginal Homelessness Committee in B.C. since 2005.  

  

I am an alumnus of Simon Fraser University (BA), Dalhousie University (BEDS, BArch), McGill University (MArch) and University of British Columbia  (PhD). I am an Adjunct Professor at the McEwen School of Architecture at Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ont. I have had the privilege to be co-editor of Our Voices: Indigeneity and Architecture (2018) and Our Voices II: the decolonial project (2021), both published by ORO Editions. I am currently lead editor for the forthcoming book, Our Voices III: catalysts for change (2022) to also be published by ORO Editions.  

  

It is important for me to always give back to community, whether it is my Nation, the architectural profession or those less fortunate.  Having been born homeless and growing up in care, I have never taken anything for granted. I continue to push the boundaries and look to the future. Most recently I have participated with the RAIC and UIA to submit a proposal for the establishment of an Indigenous Peoples Work Program.