Public City’s Role

Architecture

Team

Calnitsky Architects, Wolfrom Engineering

Client

Manitoba Hydro

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The Railway Avenue Housing development in Gillam creates new commons for Manitoba Hydro, residents of Gillam, and the Fox Lake Cree Nation community. Through deep engagement with Fox Lake Cree Nation and local residents, our team’s approach to design and community consultation through master planning laid a vision to convert a once utilitarian site and corridor into Gillam's first true main street. Out of this, the two-storey Railway House townhouse and street-level retail was developed. It establishes a new vertical pattern for northern town life where living spaces are placed high up off the ground to maximize access to a lower sun.  The partnerships between Manitoba Hydro and Indigenous communities proved to us how infrastructure investment can bridge cultural territory with mutual benefit. The design responds to harsh sub-arctic conditions through robust super insulated wall construction and high-performance HVAC systems and set a new standard for sustainable northern construction for the crown corporation. This project demonstrates how strategic development can unite diverse communities through shared investment in situ.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​