Upper Skeena Recreation Centre

The Upper Skeena Recreation Centre replaces a forty year old volunteer-built arena in Hazelton, a remote northern community on the traditional territory of the Gitxsan people. Its design emerged from an unprecedented partnership between Indigenous leaders, local municipalities, and community organizations, the first of its kind in the region.

The long-span glulam structure arranges small members into a simple arch, carrying heavy snow loads while utilizing the natural strength of engineered mass timber in a highly efficient and cost effective system. The exposed timber, tapered columns, and cedar cladding reference the scale and materiality of Gitxsan longhouses. Over 26,000 hours of local labour were invested in prefabricating the roof and wall panels on site. The building is not only used by the community, but was made by it.

As Hereditary Chief Gordon Sebastian expressed at opening, "We wake up in the morning and we feel good that we have such a beautiful building. It is the result of efforts of all the local people."