Kenhtè:ke Language and Cultural Centre

A zero carbon community centre for language and culture

The Kenhté:ke Language and Cultural Centre, located in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, is a project that supports the Mohawk language and culture. It will serve the day-to-day need of the community as a Mohawk language school, recreation and gathering space. The design concept takes inspiration from many aspects of the Mohawk culture. The longhouse is represented in the east-west corridor with arched roofs and cedar shakes cladding that offers both shape and texture variation from the rest of the building. The design also centres around the texture and layering of traditional Mohawk basket weaving . The gathering space is intended to represent a basket, the reciprocal frame structure representing the bottom of a basket with weaving acoustical panels around the space. The building exemplifies stewardship of the environment with a zero carbon design and thoughtful integration of the surrounding landscape as part of the concept. Services provided include architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, and community engagement. This $9 million project successfully received full funding from the federal Green and Inclusive Building Fund and is in construction phase with anticipated completion in May 2025.