Okâch – Îyethkabi Oûgitûbi – Banff Pavilion

Photo credit: Chris Conway

Project Description

Located in the heart of Banff National Park, the Okâch – Îyethkabi Oûgitûbi Banff Pavilion is more than a community shelter — it’s a bold statement about what sustainable public infrastructure can achieve. Developed by the Town of Banff in collaboration with HSS Design Build, the pavilion provides year-round space for sports groups, residents, and visitors, offering washrooms, a kitchenette, barbecue facilities, and warm winter refuge for skaters — all within a universally accessible design.

Built primarily from mass timber, including DLT and glulam, the pavilion dramatically reduces embodied carbon while sequestering approximately 100 tonnes of CO₂e in its structure. Designed to meet Passive House Institute Low Energy Building standards and achieve Rick Hansen Foundation Gold certification, it combines ultra-airtight construction (0.6 ACH50), high-performance insulation, triple-pane windows, and quadruple-pane skylights to minimize heat loss in Banff’s cold climate. An all-electric VRF air-source heat pump system, energy recovery ventilation with high-efficiency filtration for wildfire smoke, and an 18 kW rooftop solar array (producing ~19,000 kWh annually) push the building toward net-zero operational emissions.

Key challenges included reducing both embodied and operational carbon, ensuring resilience to climate-driven wildfire smoke, integrating renewable energy systems in a cold climate, and delivering true barrier-free access. Prefabricated timber construction minimized waste and improved precision, while adaptable, non-load-bearing interior walls support a projected 100-year lifespan and allow for adaptable interior layouts, supporting future reconfiguration without major demolition.

The result is a welcoming, low-carbon, and future-ready community hub — one that proves climate leadership, inclusivity, and beautiful design can coexist in one of Canada’s most iconic natural settings.

Thermal Envelope

Mechanical System