Outside Confederation College’s brick walls lies Anwebiiwining (“a place where one rests”) – the catalyst for an Indigenous-led vision of land-based learning. Anwebiiwining demonstrates how intentional, holistic and collaborative design can decolonize and transform space through inclusivity, honouring the land and re-centering Indigenous voices and values. The project highlights the journey to the river, featuring a plaza and fire pit nodes along the way. A continuous, accessible boardwalk meanders through the forest on helical piles that preserve the sensitive ecology of the floodplain. The boardwalk connects the plaza to a tranquil clearing, where a sacred fire anchors the space spiritually and spatially. A tipi-inspired pergola features timber poles, a white “hide” roof and a covered fire pit for practical, non-ceremonial uses. The colonial aesthetic of the plaza was addressed by introducing natural materials, planting vines that reclaim the brick colonnade and by reversing the plaza’s orientation, emphasizing the forest as a backdrop for the wood stage, which becomes a seating area when not in use.
