Western Canada’s second Indigenous art gallery is set to occupy the two-storey building on the corner of 96 Street and 101A Avenue.  The existing humble concrete structure is currently undergoing radical redesign and rehabilitation.

Since January 2018, RPK has worked with the City and its future tenant, the Ociciwan Contemporary Art Collective, to come up with a graceful and modern recladding and interior remodeling suitable for the site.  Working with Ociciwan, a façade of vertical aluminum composite panels with a mirrored finish was designed.  Playful as a kaleidoscope, such an exterior would present to passersby an ever changing expanse of clouds and reflections of the urban surroundings, rewarding them with vibrant hues depending on the time of day.

Blending, merging, and reflecting its surroundings, the Ociciwan Contemporary Art Collective is a statement piece meant to act in part as a catalyst for future developments in the area.  Special consideration was given during the design process to enhance security by way of natural surveillance.  We have enlarged windows and added new loading doors to improve the ambient lighting glowing from the building’s opening at night.  Also, exterior alcoves will be illuminated with linear LED lights to eliminate dark entryways and counteract blindspots around the building.