Sp'óq'es Lá:lém (Bird’s Nest/House)
Rental Housing for Urban Indigenous Families and Individuals
Sp'óq'es Lá:lém sits on land purchased by Lu’ma Native Housing Society to build low end market rental units to meet the organization’s mandate to provide homes for Indigenous people across the housing continuum.
The project began as a market developer driven project at the Development Permit stage. Lu’ma Development Management (LDM) was responsible for managing the process of acquiring and purchasing the property from the Provincial Rental Housing Corporation. LDM also oversaw the design and municipal permitting process to adapt the project to meet the Society’s rental guidelines and the funder’s budgetary constraints.
LDM also supported the artist procurement process, as well as the blessing ceremony and traditional copper plate burial that were held on the site prior to the start of construction to honour the land and connect its past to its future.
The 4-storey, 23 unit rental building features a combination of studio, one- and two-bedroom units. It is located on a bus route and features a rooftop gathering space.
The building features artwork created by Cory Douglas that tells the First Nations legend of the Moon, the night guardian of the earth, and celebrates its power to provide guidance and vision.
LOCATION: On the traditional territory of the the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Peoples, also known as Vancouver, BC
STATUS: Completed and occupied in 2021
CLIENT: Lu’ma Native BCH Housing Society
FUNDERS: CMHC’s Rental Construction Financing Initiative Program and BC Housing
OPERATOR: Lu’ma Native Housing Society