FIRST PEOPLEs’ Gathering House – Simon Fraser University

Project info

Completed in 2025, the Simon Fraser University (SFU) First Peoples’ Gathering House provides a safe, welcoming environment for students, faculty, and community members to connect, celebrate, and explore Indigenous culture and education. Designed in the Coast Salish tradition, the 15,000 sq. ft. facility features a ceremonial entry, a Great Hall for events of up to 300 guests, an Elders room, classroom, wellness room, multi-generational lounge, and a food service kitchen.

Located on SFU’s Burnaby campus, on the traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), and kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem), the building is a direct result of Action 3 of SFU’s 2017 Walk this Path with Us report, which called to action the construction of an improved environment for SFU’s Indigenous community members.

We’re proud to have delivered the building management & control system (BMS) for this meaningful project, using Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure Building Operator platform to manage the building’s HVAC, mechanical, and monitoring of other systems. This includes gas detection, exhaust fans, fan coils, energy recovery ventilators, air source heat pumps, domestic hot water, BACnet integration of various systems, metering, and fire alarm/sump pump monitoring.