It's All Green, All the Time...

Found an interesting new travel bit... I'm all for environmental sustainability, but I'm amazed that in the last year, if you're not environmentally friendly, then you're basically going to hell in a handbasket. The message for 2008? If it's not green, it sucks.


Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre a New Icon for Sustainability


The Squamish Lil’Wat Cultural Centre, a three-story complex of natural stone, wood and glass buildings, is designed to respect the landscape and act as a doorway to the forest. The cultural centre is a “green” development, reflecting the philosophy of responsible land stewardship, a value held by both the Squamish Nation and the Lil’wat Nation and by the Community of Whistler. Through environmental planning and design practices, this project significantly contributes to Whistler’s reputation as an innovative community, emphasizing its efforts to prevent and reduce negative environmental impacts.

Designed by architect Alfred Waugh to evoke a traditional Squamish longhouse and a Lil'wat Istken (pit house), with pictograph-adorned boulders gracing the walkways along the approach to the carved cedar entry doors. Anchored by massive Douglas Fir beams and columns, shingled glass ushers in the dramatic mountain scenery to become a backdrop for art and artifacts on display. The entrance and the axis of the building align with the celestial points of the compass, with the entrance door facing east, as is traditional in First Nations cultures.

The Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre is LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified in its design and construction. At the outset, measures were taken to ensure the Centre had the smallest possible carbon footprint by building it in close proximity to Whistler’s core, adjacent to public transportation. The architect worked with the topography of the land, facing the building north to minimize the impact of UV light on precious art and artifacts. Rock blasting was minimized, instead resting the building on the bedrock plinth, and all the stone and wood used in the building was sourced from the surrounding territory. The concrete floors act as a heat sink, absorbing heat in the day and releasing it at night to efficiently cool the building. Natural ventilation through operable windows and thermal stack ventilators reduce cooling loads during spring and fall. Other sustainable strategies include minimal irrigation controlled by sensors and a planted roof over the Iskten Hall to mitigate storm water run off.

The Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre, “where rivers, mountains and people meet,” is the result of an unprecedented partnership between two distinctly different First Nations, the Coast Salish Squamish people and the Interior Salish Lil’wat people, to preserve, celebrate, and share their history and arts – thus ensuring cultural sustainability.

The cultural program options and authentic arts add a new dimension to the already remarkable Whistler experience. In addition to a Class A museum, an 80 seat theatre, and a gift gallery with authentic Squamish and Lil’wat art, the Centre features guided and self-guided tours, performances, and artisan demonstrations.

The Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre is opening June 2008 in Whistler, a major event site for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. For more information on the Cultural Centre, go to www.slcc.ca or for event booking, contact the sales department by email at sales@slcc.ca or by phone at (604) 898-1822.