Eladia Smoke, the founder of Smoke Architecture, sitting in her office. Her team is entirely women-led, and they follow a hybrid work schedule to allow for a physical presence in their communities.Seven ravens lined up along a clerestory of the Naskapi Women’s Shelter, sunlight filling the space below while the new building was inspected. One of the birds leaned down and tapped on the glass, catching Eladia Smoke’s attention.
She says if architects listen closely to Elders and communities who have long withstanding relationships with the land, they can determine what buildings, houses and other structures should look like, and what their purpose is. “A lot of times, what I heard in school was, ‘as an architect, you have to be persuasive to help the clients, who don’t have the professional training to see this is what they need,” Smoke says.
Alfred Waugh, who is a member of Fond du Lac Denesuline Nation, is the founder of Formline Architecture + Urbanism. The firm was the first Indigenous-owned architectural firm to receive the Governor General’s Medal for Architecture award, in 2022, for the design of theAlfred Waugh is the founder of Formline Architecture + Urbanism.
These consultations that lead to beautiful, thoughtful design aren’t just necessary to these commercial projects; connection to the land and community are important for residential projects too.