Zachary Morin

Returning Birthing to the Canada’s Inuit Communities: Through Contemporary, Haptic, and Inuit Building Practices

The Northern Canadian environment has largely been ignored since the middle to late 1900s, which has led to the time gap between current architectural work in the north and indigenous traditional buildings in the north. The remote locations of the north have extreme weather conditions and isolated environments without many skilled labourers and city infrastructures. This led to an absence of trained midwives and physicians in the Inuit communities that help with the community births. This forces many who are pregnant to be flown south to give birth with experienced professionals and be isolated from their community and family. I want to connect the buildings to the people with haptic designs and traditional Inuit wisdom to improve the well-being of the users in birthing centers. This connection explores the lands, people, communities, and materials for the changes in the building practice. I am looking into the precedence of Inuit architecture for an understanding to adapt and connects builds to communities, and land. 

The project will be looking at how a Sanikiluaq, Nunavut birthing centre could be designed for the betterment of the people with precedents from Northern Canada. My goals include understanding the location through mapping and historical events to develop a more in-depth understanding of how northern Canada projects are adapting to the climates and health of communities. Additionally, looking to studies to understand how to connect people to place in the Inuit culture. Considering how to build with the land in mind and connectivity as a center, instead of building with efficiency at the core and technology superseding comfortable environments.

I want to work in the north with a focus on materials connections and community engagement in birthing to develop a building. This developed architecture in the isolation of the north that can create a space for user well-being to hold a moment in time where community and family come together.