Sp'akw'us Feather ParkProject Title: Sp'akw'us Feather Park Sp’akw’us (s-pak-oo-us) Feather Park transforms a once inaccessible contaminated industrial site into a vibrant public waterfront ,embedded with art, materiality, and cultural tradition. The design confronts colonial legacies of exclusion from land use planning and responds to Squamish Nation goals with collaboration and leadership in the planning, design, and construction of restoration areas, the play area, cultural and estuarine root gardens, and interpretive signage describing the site’s natural and cultural histories. Squamish Nation culture is evident in the Áynexwi7 play area—its name translates to “revival”—in benches carved by Squamish artists and in the 12-metre Welcome Gate sculpture by a Squamish Nation artist at the central headland. Coastal and climate resilience are integral to their development site design. The beaches, backshore, and intertidal marsh provide an energy absorption zone for wave and erosion protection at Howe Sound while restoring habitats and activating recreational use. |