“They listened, and they heard the Squamish Nation. You will see that reflected in the park.”
Dale Harry, Squamish Nation hereditary Chief
Hapa Collaborative collaborated with Anchor QEA and Matthews West in the creation of Sp’akw’us Feather Park. While Anchor QEA provided master planning and park documentation, Hapa provided full design and construction administration for the playground, entrance plaza and streetscape around the presentation centre and brewery. Hapa worked closely with Matthews West, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation), St’a7mes School and Kinsol Play to co-design a playground that reflected the history of Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw in the play experience.
Sp’akw’us Feather Park is a waterfront site framed by the Chief, Squamish’s famed granite monolith, and Howe Sound, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. From time immemorial, sixteen bands, now amalgamated as Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw, used these lands as a gathering space, well connected to the water and surrounding valley. The once logging town of the District of Squamish has transformed into a place for outdoor enthusiasts – people share a meaningful connection to this place. With the closure of the previous pulp and paper chemical plant, the demand for environmental cleanup dovetailed with a vision to develop the site in the Oceanfront Squamish community with over 1,500 future homes. Environmental resilience, connection to place, and reconciliation are at the heart of this project. Sp’akw’us Feather Park is the spark and precedent for the future development of the 60-acre mixed-use masterplan development of the shores of Howe Sound, ensuring public access to the waterfront throughout the multi-decade construction period.
The project is of the place, from the design to the construction. As designers, it was important to reflect the place and the people who live here. Landscape elements placed an emphasis on local materiality. When one enters the site through the plaza, they are greeted by three large granite boulders, a subtle nod to the three peaks of the Chief. Large timber benches acknowledge the historic legacy of logging. A concerted effort was placed on sourcing materials from the Sea to Sky corridor. Driftwood was salvaged for reuse onsite; granite boulders and basalt pavers from a local quarry were incorporated into the plaza and large timber furnishings were processed at a local mill. As a result, most landscape materials were sourced within a 100-km radius of the site, supporting local fabricators, growers and suppliers.
The park’s amenities are uniquely geared towards the community of Squamish – a municipality whose slogan is “Hardwired for Adventure”. The plaza boulders are used by rock climbers, posts for slacklining are provided, and a dedicated windsports beach was built into the headlands. A large open lawn is used for cultural events and even as a landing space for paragliders jumping from the top of the Chief.
Sp’akw’us Feather Park was named to honor the eagle – Sp’akw’us. The name combines both Skwxwú7mesh and English languages to signify unity between the two cultures and the land. This emphasis on Skwxwú7mesh storytelling is represented in the Aynexqi7 Playground, centrally located within the park. As the Skwxwú7mesh word for ‘revival’, Aynexqi7 playground was co-designed with a group of Skwxwú7mesh youth from St’a7mes School. Matthews West and Hapa proposed a series of workshops that were held with the students in which stories and cultural knowledge were shared, explored and interpreted through activities – including the creation of physical models and sketches – to inform the design of the playground. Sḵwx̱wú7mesh youth later advocated the design to the district. The playground structures were designed to represent three prominent stories and are paired with QR codes with audio recordings of the children telling each story. The playground includes several other representations important to the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw, such as a cedar root basket inspired tower, a dug-out cedar canoe, salmon, fishing nets, pictographs and instruments.
The Aynexqi7 Playground represents Skwxwu7mesh oral history, knowledge and culture in a prominent and permanent feature in the public realm, and provides a permanent, physical artifact of Skwxwú7mesh history that until now is only passed down through oral traditions of storytelling. A process of co-creation, construction and interpretation, the playground is, in the words of Sḵwx̱wú7mesh language worker Charlene Williams, “one of the best examples of ‘reconciliation in action’ that I can think of.”
Landscape architecture: Hapa Collaborative
Year completed: 2024
