The Polaris Project will realize a building that, through its design and intention, invites and cultivates an interplay between Yukon First Nation culture and ways of knowing, and western approaches to learning and to knowledge generation. This building will become a place to learn, to teach, and to create knowledge in new and transformative ways, and a place that opens minds to different approaches and to new ideas of relevance to the North.
The Polaris Project will create an environment of learning and discovery that will allow Yukon University to better serve the needs of the North and to better connect to the people of the Yukon.
The Polaris Project will support academic instruction and laboratory activities for Yukon University. The building should provide new teaching and research spaces that align with the following principles.
The University will be a very active client during the design and construction. As such, the successful design team can expect total and active participation from both the in-house Polaris Project team, staff, Yukon First Nations (YFN) partners, and a wide variety of individual stakeholders.
Serving the North
Polaris will incubate the future for Yukon University. Within and beyond its walls, new research programs and careers will be seeded, and new academic programs will be grown. In doing so, Polaris will help to mark Yukon University as a place that is creating the knowledge to advance understanding of complex issues of relevance to the North, and the university that is providing the talent to serve the needs of the North.
Connecting our Community
Polaris will be a place of open doors and invitation, and it will be a point of pride for the people of Yukon. It will be a place where Yukon University engages and shares knowledge outcomes and a place where Yukon people can learn through participation and dialogue.
The Polaris Project will realize a physical structure that invites and cultivates an interplay between Yukon First Nation culture and ways of knowing, and western approaches to learning and to knowledge generation.
The indigenization of the building will include Yukon First Nation worldviews throughout every plan, elevation, and detailed design decision. First Nation themes of consensus building, traditional knowledge, tactile experiences, flexibility, and participation of elders will inform the size and character of each room.
Consulting services are required for the various design phases, including schematic design, design development, construction and tender documentation, supervision of the tendering process, construction phase, and ongoing contract administration. The consultant will be required to meet all proposed deadline stages and provide a professional standard of care. The full scope of design services also includes the civil and landscaping services for adjacent areas, related roadways, parking, landscaping, and the underground utility infrastructure.
