Zeidler Architecture; Taza Development Corp; Canadian Architect Magazine

• Calgary’s growth is noted as increasing strain on the Bow and Elbow Rivers’ ability to provide for agriculture, industry, and the everyday household needs of Tsuut’ina citizens.
• The Taza water reservoir and pumphouse project works to replace aged infrastructure and provide a consistent source of potable water for the community as it builds out the 500-acre Taza Park—the first of three villages that make up one of North America’s largest First Nation development projects.
• Instead of the more conventional chain-link fence, the security fence (made of a mix of cedar poles from western Canada and repurposed poles from the Tsuut’ina Nation) creates a curvilinear fence to safeguard the reservoir, provide structural support for solar panels, and transform the project into a bold gateway marker to Taza Park. The space also offers the unique opportunity for a permanent art installation from the Tsuut’ina Nation.
• The design targets net zero building emissions, in keeping with a sustainability goal for all the Tsuut’ina Nation’s public buildings. Solar panels, mounted on the site’s unshaded southern exposure supply the majority of the pumphouse building’s electrical requirements.
• Responding to the importance of water for the Tsuut’ina—who are known as the “Beaver People”—the arrangement of the wooden solar fence alludes to the shape of a beaver dam. The conical shape of the arrayed wooden fence posts mimics the shape of a teepee. The integration of the solar fence within the landscape speaks to the Tsuut’ina understanding of the interconnectivity between all living beings and the land.

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