Manasc Isaac Architects designed this Visitor Reception Centre, in collaboration with Sturgess Architecture, to act as a symbolic and physical staging post for travellers. The building, located along the Alaska Highway, has since become a recognizable landmark with its distinctive shape that references both the simplicity of an overturned canoe and the organic nature of the skeleton of a fish.
Cultural references include the rippling canvas, a reminder that Whitehorse began as a tent city; the drum-shaped pavilion of which the ceiling is painted with Northern constellations; and finally, the illusion of an aurora is at play due to the kinetic pattern the sky light makes on the dark sloped walls.
The linear structure of the building works well with the landscape and allows for a comfortable, logical progression as tourists wander through the displays to the 200-seat audio-visual theatre. This project won the Governor General's Award Medal of Excellence, Canada's recognition of achievement in the field.
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