The Problem
Indigenous communities need infrastructure that respects and integrates with both their cultural heritage and the ecological systems they have stewarded for generations, rather than conventional development approaches that displace both.
A 600-hectare infrastructure master plan for an Indigenous Metis cultural centre in Alberta, Canada, using biomimetic strategies including bison-based regeneration and wetland restoration.
Metis Crossing is a cultural centre and gathering place for the Metis Nation of Alberta, and this 600-hectare infrastructure master plan applies biomimetic thinking to create infrastructure that works harmoniously with the land. The design team used a variety of tools including traditional indigenous knowledge to identify key environmental perturbations, future risks, and existing ecological assets. A critical innovation was leveraging traditional bison—culturally central to Metis identity—as a regenerative strategy. The plan moved infrastructure away from high-risk flood areas, enhanced regenerative strategies by reintroducing bison grazing patterns key to Metis culture, and avoided placing infrastructure in sensitive ecosystems to increase biodiversity. Existing biology was included as key assets in the overall strategy rather than obstacles to be removed. The master plan applied biomimetic thinking that bridged the culture of the Indigenous community with their built infrastructure, creating regenerative strategies including an onsite wastewater wetland to support circularity and water reuse for irrigation, an onsite regenerative food system to support food independence, and a 4.6 MW solar farm for carbon positivity.
