responsibility impliesknowledge and action
At Cover Architecture, diversity is valued, (re)conciliation
is prioritized, and the Truth & Reconciliation Commission calls
to action are put into practice. Our office has a workplace-wide policy of inclusion that embraces the perspectives and experiences of Indigenous Peoples.
land acknowledgment
We at Cover Architecture humbly acknowledge that the lands on which we live, work, and create are the traditional, unceded, and occupied homelands of the Ktunaxa Nation, Sinixt Nation, and Syilx Peoples. We recognize their enduring presence and their unique cultural contributions to this region. We commit to approaching our work with consideration for their deep connection to the land and seek to foster meaningful relationships built on respect, reciprocity, and responsibility.
“Responsibility implies knowledge and action. It seeks to genuinely serve others and is inseparable from respect and reciprocity”
– Margaret Kovach
our commitment
We annually observe Truth & Reconciliation Day and celebrate Indigenous People’s Day.
We organize learning opportunities within our firm to grow individual capacity and understanding, and celebrate and learn from the work of contemporary Indigenous architects.
We respect Indigenous Peoples’ Knowledge and Intellectual Property rights as sacred and belonging to the community that they originate from.
We prioritize local trades, knowledge, and skills and advocate to hire locally during project construction.
We value community time, effort, and knowledge, and follow a protocol of gift giving in exchange for this energy and input.
We advocate for the voices of Indigenous Peoples in the realm of architecture by creating opportunities for community members to join our project design team.
We aim to build trust through accountability, continually reflecting on our processes and looking for opportunities to improve project outcomes.
what this means in our practice ...
2021 – june
seminar: Introductions
facilitator: Michele A Sam Consulting
This was the first workshop in a series aimed to increase our team’s capacity for, and understanding of, meaningful engagement practices with Indigenous Peoples. The series opened with introductions, intention setting, and discussions of historical context, lived experiences, and calls to action. This session formed a foundation of knowledge and offered context for the following workshops.
2021 – july
seminar: Creating a Safe Space for Dialogue
facilitator: Michele A Sam Consulting
This session focused on self-reflection and self-awareness, challenging and recognizing our own biases and privileges, all within a safe-space of open discussion and listening. Through this self-development, we are better able to reflect on our position within the history of colonization and future decolonization.
2021 – september
seminar: Principals Guiding Ethics
facilitator: Michele A Sam Consulting
This session focuses on Indigenous knowledge systems (place based), world views, and relationships to the land and waterways. We collectively considered how our understanding of these knowledge relationships impacts our approach to design and consultation work, and how to adapt our internal policies and design processes to center Indigenous world views.
2021 – october
seminar: Stumbling Blocks”
facilitator: Michele A Sam Consulting
The focus of this session was on how to build capacity for engagement through confronting various biases, privileges, and other “stumbling blocks,” as well as gaining an understanding of, and mechanisms for, managing traumas.
2022 – july
film screening: From Earth to Sky
Organizer: Cover Architecture
Cover organized this community event to celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day. The film follows the work of an accomplished collective of Indigenous architects across Turtle Island who are world leaders in aesthetics, form, and sustainability. This film articulates the power of Indigenous architectural practices in contemporary design.
2022 – september
webinar: Not for Us, Without Us
presenter:Patrick R. Stewart
This session considers how Indigenous design methodologies can be acknowledged and expressed as a way of privileging Indigenous ways of being. A process with potential to create discursive spaces where relationships, reciprocity, reflection, respect and responsibility can emerge and support knowing and doing within architectural contexts.
2022 – september
webinar: Engagement Methodologies
presenter: Cover Architecture
During this futurespective workshop, we asked our team to look forward and consider to improve our engagement and relationship building processes with Indigenous clients and partnering communities. During this time we reflected on our current processes, identified systems that were not aligned with our intentions, and set commitments for moving forward.
2023 – march
workshop: Relationship Building
facilitator: Cover Architecture
This internal workshop reviewed terminology, naming, engagement protocols, and emphasized the importance of engaging with each community uniquely.
2023 – june
site visit: Zuckerberg Island, Castlegar BC
facilitator: Cover Architecture
To celebrate Indigenous People’s day, the Cover Team took a field trip to Zuckerberg Island in Castlegar to see the many remaining pithouse impressions in the earth. This was a significant village site at the confluence of the Columbia and Kootenay Rivers wh entiful.
2023 – june
film festival: STOODIS
organizer: Nelson Civic Theatre Society
Hosted by the NCTS, Cover was thrilled to be able to sponsor and support the inaugural STOODIS Indigenous Film Festival. The focus on Indigenous narratives and celebration of Indigenous storytelling brings together community members of all ages and we look forward to seeing the festival continue for years to come.
2023 – september
film screening: Bones of Crows
organizer: Cover Architecture
Cover organized a screening of Bones of Crows to increase awareness within our office of the painful history and ongoing impacts of the residential school system. Based on true events, Bones of Crows is a story of resilience, told through the eyes of Cree matriarch Aline Spears. Filming was done in British Columbia, including at the site of the former Kamloops Residential School on Tk’emlúps homelands.
2023 – november
webinar: Nokom’s House: Creating space for research in good relation
presenters: Amina Lalor, Sheri Longboat
This session reflected on the collaborative process of working with architects and community to create a land-based Indigenous research space within a predominantly Euro-centric post-secondary institution and the importance of purpose-designed spaces that engage Indigenous perspectives at all stages of realization.
2024 – june
public event: Sinixt Canoe Journey
location: Kootenay Lake
This journey is an opportunity for the Sinixt peoples to reconnect with their language, traditional territories, and waterways. Last year’s journey spanned 272 miles! Our office joined during the Nelson stop of the journey, paddling alongside the traditional dugout canoes to view the pictographs and to hold ceremony on Kootenay Lake.
2024 – september
film festival: STOODIS
organizer: Nelson Civic Theatre Society
Cover was excited to sponsor this local film festival for the second year! The festival celebrated diverse storytelling through film, live performances, and community conversations. The festival showcased the work of emerging and established Indigenous artists, and placed a spotlight on global Indigenous resistance, excellence, and resurgence.
2024 – september
webinar: Reconciling Reconciliation Through Design
presenter: David Fortin
This session considered how Indigenous values can influence design in architecture, questioning how the design process itself can be understood as relationship building in pursuit of common goals. This session looked at how architectural practices in Canada can positively contribute to reconciliation.