The Centre for Aboriginal Human Resources Development (CAHRD) supports Indigenous people in Winnipeg by assisting them with employment services, education and training, and social programs such as counselling, daycare,  and housing.

To reduce stress on parents using CAHRD's programs, the organization retained ft3 to design a new daycare space. The creation of Kookum's Place Daycare (“Kookum” meaning “Grandmother” in the Saulteaux language) involved renovations to the historic former Canadian Pacific Railway Station on Higgens, which is CAHRD's headquarters.

We highlighted the play between new and old in our design by re-incorporating lost building elements such as the original columns' enclosures and capitals. We also restored the large windows to their original condition updating insulation values and restoring operability. We juxtapositioned these historical restorations with green, purple and pink hues mimicking the natural flow of the landscape and colourful tiles forming the shapes of animals and bugs on the walls. 

As Kookum's Place Daycare operates by the Seven Sacred Teachings: Wisdom, Love, Honour, Courage, Honesty, Humility, and Truth, the addition of illustrated wildlife adds another layer of cultural relevance to create an engaging educational and play environment.

Kookum's Place Daycare (designed to meet the requirements of the Manitoba Government) features 80 preschool spots and has direct access to an exterior play space.