Two Row ArchitectTeeple ArchitectsLow Hammond Rowe Architects
Size2,680 square metres
OwnerUniversity of Victoria
Structural EngineerFast + Epp
Construction ManagerChandos ConstructionKhowutzun Development
Mass Timber SupplierKalesnikoff (CLT and GLT)
Wood Product SupplierNicola LogWorks (peeled Douglas-fir columns)
Structural systemsMass timber hybridPost-and-beam
Project materialsCross-laminated timber (CLT)Glue-laminated timber
SpeciesDouglas-fir (CLT, Glulam, millwork)Spruce-pine-fir (SPF)Western red cedarYellow cedar
The National Centre for Indigenous Laws (NCIL)[1], at the University of Victoria, British Columbia (B.C.), is a gathering place for critical engagement, debate, learning, public education and partnership on Indigenous legal traditions.
The University of Victoria created the Centre in 2018 when the school welcomed the first 25 students into a new Indigenous law program—the first of its kind in the world. The program offers students a unique joint degree: a Juris Indigenarum Doctor (JID) in Indigenous legal orders—the laws, customs and governance systems of Indigenous Peoples—and a Juris Doctor (JD) in Canadian Common Law.
By 2022, the Program had outgrown the Fraser Building that had long hosted the school’s Faculty of Law. The University did not want to segregate the JID and JD programs, so an approach was developed in the design process for the expansion to wrap around the existing circa-1980 building. For seismic reasons, the two buildings are structurally independent but form a fully integrated interior circulation path.
The 2,680-square-metre building expansion includes a large gathering space, faculty offices, classrooms, meeting spaces, student support spaces, a creation space and an Elders’ room.
The building expansion is a design collaboration between Two Row Architect, Teeple Architects, and Low Hammond Rowe Architects. Two Row Architects is an Indigenous-owned business operated from the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation, Tkaronto (the place now known as Toronto), and Calgary.
During early engagement meetings, the client team expressed interest in an “extended forest” concept that would metaphorically continue the adjacent forest ecosystem, including the trees, animals and watershed, all considered sacred and integral to the practice of law, inside the building.
In response, the team proposed situating the building in a way that minimized impact on the forest ecosystem and extended that environment with clusters of peeled Douglas-fir columns in the main entrance hall, and the new outdoor space between the expansion and the existing building. The columns’ tighter-than-typical spacing, meant they could directly support CLT slabs, eliminating the need for horizontal beams. This creates a clean, uninterrupted field of exposed overhead CLT—an effect further enhanced by careful routing of sprinklers and lights.
The building is capped with a mono-slope CLT roof, with a short upward-skewing section at one end and is integrated with the on-site rainwater management system. Cut-outs in this CLT structure mirror the floor plan beneath, with overhangs provided at entry areas and shading. A sunken exterior rooftop mechanical space hides an air-handling unit from view.
Initial work began in June 2020 as cost escalations hit Canada’s building sector. Though the architects had initially envisioned an all-mass timber structure, peak North American commodity wood prices at the time forced them to adopt a hybrid of mass timber and steel. The hybrid design is similar to the original all-mass timber structure, where the key wood structural elements—CLT ceiling and natural Douglas-fir columns—remained exposed.
The consultant team, along with lead contractor Chandos and sub-trades, developed a moisture management plan for construction. Chandos’ previous experience with mass timber construction and careful attention to the plan’s details ensured the mass timber components remained well-protected and generally free of any rain or snow ingress until lock-up.
To ensure that as much of the CLT floor and roof decking, along with the glulam beams, was left exposed, the team identified alternative approaches to materials and finishes. This included acoustic wood panelling for walls and some ceilings, Tectum wall panels, and acoustical drywall to replace the acoustic ceiling treatments typically installed in classroom settings.
Chandos partnered with Khowutzun Development Corporation, an Indigenous-owned business, to complete civil construction and excavation work. Khowutzun maintains relationships with Indigenous contractors and vendors across the Cowichan Valley (southern Vancouver Island) and has circulated economic benefits from the project throughout the region.
The building’s exposed mass-timber elements help create a natural and serene space for the faculty and students. The building’s numerous connections with the natural world align with and support the connections in the Indigenous Law faculty’s teachings and everyday activities.
The Centre uses local Douglas-fir timber columns and beams, as well as yellow cedar, western red cedar and Douglas-fir extensively in detailing and millwork.
Projectors recessed into the ceiling of one classroom will cast images onto the floor to support celestial, sun and calendar teachings. Spaces are equipped with additional ventilation equipment to accommodate smudging ceremonies.
High glass walls flood the entryway and atrium spaces with natural light. Classrooms and the atrium open to the forest and a learning deck where instructors can teach classes outdoors.
The large gathering space references Coast Salish longhouse construction and includes an angled cedar-slat wall that partially screens the room from the adjacent corridor.
The strong support of Elders, Knowledge Keepers and community members from the local First Nations—from project onset through to completion—has resulted in a physical expression of reconciliation that will celebrate and honour Indigenous traditions and values for generations to come.
“The National Centre for Indigenous Laws is inspired by the legal landscapes of the Coast Salish world. Its design reflects the importance of water and offers acknowledgement of our relationships with the beings of this place.” SARAH MORALES, JD/JID DIRECTOR AND ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, FACULTY OF LAW, UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA, AND MEMBER OF COWICHAN TRIBES
“The National Centre for Indigenous Laws is inspired by the legal landscapes of the Coast Salish world. Its design reflects the importance of water and offers acknowledgement of our relationships with the beings of this place.”
SARAH MORALES, JD/JID DIRECTOR AND ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, FACULTY OF LAW, UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA, AND MEMBER OF COWICHAN TRIBES
[1] This is the facility’s provisional name.
