January 14, 2014
By Bob Weber, The Canadian Press
From the land of snowdrifts to the city of canals – five designs that use architecture to address the realities of Inuit life in Nunavut are Canada’s entry to this year’s Venice Biennale, one of the world’s top showcases for builder’s art.
“We all have the images of the Arctic that we get in National Geographic,” said Lola Sheppard, a Toronto architect and a curator of the Arctic Adaptations show that is to open in Venice in June.
“But the physical, tangible realities of what it is to live in the North and what are the daily realities – what is a road? What do commutes look like? How do you get things there? – I think those things remain unknown. I think that’s a really interesting and important story to tell.”
The show brings students from five of Canada’s top architecture schools together with architects working in the North and with various Nunavut organizations. The resulting designs address themes of health, arts, recreation, housing and education. More…