The collaborative housing project that had houses barged from Port Moody to the Sunshine Coast in 2024 has received international acclaim.
Vancouver-based Renewal Development has been invited to the 19th International Architecture Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia, in recognition prefabricated housing construction project done in partnership with shíshálh Nation.
The Venice Biennale (La Biennale di Venezia) is one of the longest-running cultural festivals in the world and attracts up to 600,000 international visitors annually.
In 2024, Renewal Development partnered with shíshálh Nation and Wesgroup to relocate 10 homesthat were set for demolition from Port Moody to the Sunshine Coast to be repurposed.
The homes come to a community in great need. The Renewal Development press release said the Nation has been experiencing an acute housing shortage, with 900 Nation members currently on a waitlist for housing.
In March 2024, Glyn Lewis of Renewal Home Development told Coast Reporter that he approached Wesgroup Properties when he heard they had purchased 60 homes in Port Moody to tear them down. Lewis offered to remove the 10 homes deemed in good enough condition to be repurposed at the same cost it would take to tear them down.
The first two homes arrived at the Lower Sunsine Coast April 4, 2024, after being transported from Port Moody to Coquitlam where they were loaded onto a barge on the Fraser River. The barge then travelled down the Fraser, across Howe Sound, up around the Skookumchuck Narrows and down into Porpoise Bay.
The project will be featured at the French pavilion in Venice from May 10 to Nov. 23.
The pavilion houses France's national representation during the Venice Biennale art festivals.
Further, from May 5 to May 10, a team representing Renewal Development, shíshálh Nation, and Wesgroup will attend the official opening of La Biennale in Venice, Italy.
“First Nations have long sought community-led solutions that foster resource management and circular initiatives that reduce waste,” said lhe hiwus yalxwemult (Chief Lenora Joe) in the release. “Renewal Development had the foresight to recognize our traditional values and help us provide good homes for the first time in 10 years.”
“This international recognition would not have been possible without the leadership of the shíshálh Nation and Wesgroup. It was through deep partnerships, creative thinking, and steadfast commitment that this ambitious and innovative housing solution was realized at this scale,” says Renewal Development CEO Glyn Lewis in the release.
“At Wesgroup, we believe that building successful communities requires both innovation and collaboration. Renewal Development’s model exemplifies what’s possible when sustainability, circularity, and community needs come together. We were proud to support this partnership with the shíshálh Nation, and we’re very happy to see it recognized on the global stage,” said Dean Johnson, senior vice president of development at Wesgroup in the release.
Jordan Copp is the Coast Reporter’s civic and Indigenous affairs reporter. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
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