HEALTH AND COMMUNITY

OSKANA CENTRE

Oskana Centre in Regina, Saskatchewan is a Community Correctional Centre (half-way house) designed for Corrections Canada to help federal inmates transition back into society. It features five six-bedroom apartments as well as classrooms, activity spaces, meeting rooms and offices.

The facility is situated on a main thoroughfare in a light industrial area on the edge of downtown. The building materials were selected to fit into this context without creating an overtly institutional or industrial appearance. The breaking up of the building mass into smaller, residential scale blocks aids in creating a more home-like environment.

The interior is focused on a large central skylight which bathes the interior with natural light. The warm and rich interior colour palette and the liberal use of wood help to de-institutionalize the experience of living and working at the centre.