Nk'Mip Desert Cultural Centre
Passive solar strategies combined with an energy-efficient design resulted in an energy performance improvement by up to 50%.
- Location: Osoyoos, BC
- Status: Completed 2006
Awards:
- 2008 Governor General’s Medal in Architecture
- 2007 Royal Architecture Institute of Canada, Award of Excellence
- 2007 Architectural Institute of BC, Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia Medal
- 2007 Canadian Wood Council, Wood Design Green Building Award
- 2007 BC Ready-Mix Concrete Association, Award for Excellence in Concrete Construction
- 2007 Aboriginal Tourism Association of British Columbia Inspirational Leadership Award
In Brief:
The Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre is a celebration by the Osoyoos Indian Band of its historic landscape and the basis of a strategy to preserve it in perpetuity. However, the Centre resides in one of the most fragile environments in Canada. The desert landscape surrounding Osoyoos forms the northernmost tip of the Great American Desert, which extends as far south as Mexico.
Cobalt provided mechanical engineering services for the design of this cultural centre.
Key innovative features:
- Passive solar design strategies
- Building site and orientation
- Reduction in energy consumption by up to 50% compared to a typical building in a similar climate
- 35% of potable water savings were achieved by using low-flow faucets, dual flush toilets, and waterless urinals
