Saddle Lake Onchaminahos Elementary School offers an authentic learning experience, shaped by Indigenous values and wisdom. Designed through deep and thoughtful collaboration with its Cree Nation, the school is not just the creation of an architectural practice, but a co creation between designers and community.

The building design, and the process that delivered it, are designed to engage and lift up the voices of stakeholders that are not often heard. Its construction features collaboration with myriad skilled professionals who helped to achieve a regenerative building design. By listening and learning from many voices, the team was able to create a monument for the community: one that speaks to the wisdom, resilience and strength of Saddle Lake’s people.

Elders shared a precious gift with the design team: their time. They wove many threads of wisdom into the new school: stories of their community and culture, their knowledge of holistic being through the Cree way of life and the critical importance of the land, which shaped the school’s location and orientation.

The Educators of Saddle Lake also invested their energy into the school, sharing their vision for enriching the educational opportunities for the community, cultivating talent and competency in its future leaders. Students of all ages were invited to the table as influential participants in the conversation; all stakeholders wanted the school’s students to feel supported, loved and surrounded by their culture while in the school.

Design: Reimagine Architects
Design Lead: Claudia Yehia-Alaeddin
Contractor: Jen-Col Construction
Photography: Christophe Bénard