Kasabonika Lake First Nation (KLFN) engaged the design-build team of ft3, Penn-co Construction, Crosier Kilgour, SMS Engineering, and Dillon Consulting to renovate the community's existing K4-6 school and develop a new school for grades seven through 12. 
 

KLFN is on an island within Kasabonika Lake, located 448 kilometers northeast (by air) of Sioux Lookout, ON. The vision of the renovation and new addition was to inspire students to learn and grow locally while also serving the greater community as a gathering place. 

The design concept responded to these goals by communicating essential Indigenous teachings and culture, such as the Four Cardinal Directions and Medicine Wheel. 

While the Four Cardinal Directions orient the building’s mass on the site, community consultation workshops further emphasized the building’s position. A heightened sense of arrival is realized through the school’s main entrance: a large canopy and wooden columns forming a tipi.

Inside, a large central gathering space featuring a Medicine Wheel inlay flooring and round wood ceiling detail greets visitors and anchors them to this community hub. The Medicine Wheel also informs the school's programming: an entrance to the east, youth school wings to the south, active community spaces to the west, and cultural community spaces to the north. These multifunctional spaces branch off from reception, providing the community with opportunities to socialize, rest, and reflect.