Montana First Nation—Projects Showcase

For the last two years, Berry Architecture has been working with Montana First Nation (MFN) and Akamihk Kanataskiv Ventures (a company owned and operated by MFN) on various projects. So far, we have completed a number of conceptual design projects, plus a feasibility study, a facility review, renovations, and a couple of new builds. Here are highlights from some of the most significant:

Administration Building Re-roofing
The existing low slope metal roof on the Administration Building has been prone to leaking for years, and re-roofing is currently underway and expected to be completed this spring. The new PVC roofing has been installed over the existing metal roofing, with additional insulation added to the roof as the existing roof had very little batt insulation.

Training Centre
MFN is creating a training centre to expand the knowledge base and work experience of their members. They have created several departments to create employment, including a solar division, a building division, and an agricultural division. The training centre includes classroom spaces, computer labs, a meeting room, and a gathering area with a small kitchenette.

Greenhouse Header House
AKV is building a greenhouse on MFN to expand their Akamihk Fresh operations, which is currently producing lettuce and other leafy greens out of a small sea-can container complex. Berry Architecture has been engaged to design the “header house” as an addition to the large manufactured greenhouse. The header house is where the operations of the greenhouse will occur and includes a loading and receiving area, a cooler, a gemination room, washrooms, and a large storage room for equipment.

Residential Housing
MFN has received funding to build some new three-bedroom houses throughout the First Nation. Berry Architecture is working with MFN to update their standard three-bedroom house layout to meet the current needs of the residents. The layout revisions incorporated comments received from the residents, such as including an additional exterior door at the rear of the house, refining the bedroom layouts, and providing laundry rooms that are separate from the furnace rooms, while still maintaining a similar footprint. Overall revisions included increasing the energy efficiency of the housing by adding additional insulation, triple-glazed windows, and provisions for future photovoltaic (PV) systems. We also gave recommendations on materials with longer life expectancies, which will provide lower maintenance costs.

Wow Lighting and Ledra Brands Trip

On March 6–9, Angela went to Orange County, California, along with Jeff and Marta from Wow Lighting and three other industry representatives, to visit the Ledra Brands office. Ledra Brands includes Alphabet Lighting and Bruck Lighting and offers an extensive product lighting catalogue. They are represented by Wow Lighting in Alberta. The time away was spent learning about LED lights and the technology behind them, as well as Ledra Brands, and featured an extensive facility tour. During the facility tour, several of the light lines are found throughout their facility and are proudly displayed and explained. The facility tour included viewing their laboratory and testing areas, warehouse, and office area. It was very useful for us to explore new trends in LED lighting and see both the science behind their production and innovative ideas for their use in providing effective lighting and as design elements. Thank you, Wow Lighting and Ledra Brands, for the trip, the education, and the fun.

Here are some things we've been up to:

Berry Architecture took part in this year’s Coldest Night of the Year Fundraising Event on February 24, 2024. Our team and BAA’s contribution exceeded our fundraising goal, so kudos to the team! The Red Deer CNOY walk raised around $35,000 to be split between the Red Deer Food Bank and The Mustard Seed. We were very pleased to assist these invaluable local charities.