Linguatheque

Newfoundland and Labrador 

Img 1: View of residential area in Newfoundland and Labrador

Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. It’s a former colony and then the dominion of the United Kingdom. It finally joined Canada in 1949 as ‘Newfoundland and Labrador’. 

The province totals 405k sq km with a population of 525,073 (2018). Today, this province constitutes 97% of residents reporting English (Newfoundland English) as their mother tongue as per the 2016 census making it Canada’s most linguistically homogeneous province. 

 

Linguistic history 

Img 2: Drawing of a Beothuk camp by Major John Cartwright

The province is one of the earliest areas of the New World that was discovered by Europeans. Thus, it has seen European visitors to its shores for over 1000 years. These visitors included speakers of Norse, Basque, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, Irish Gaelic, and Scots Gaelic. 

However, today all except French and Scots Gaelic have disappeared completely. The only traces that remain include a few place names and a small amount of vocabulary. 

Newfoundland was also a now extinct Beothuk language. Innu-aimun and Inuktitut are also spoken by people from Labrador. 

Img 4: A list of Beothuk words obtained from Shanawdithit, the last known Beothuk, by W.E. Cormack. 

Brief of the competition

The province has been a linguistically heterogeneous place that welcomed every language and people from all cultures. 

However, with the passage of time, this has slowly changed. How can this Hub of Languages be preserved? 

Design Brief: Propose a Language Knowledge Centre for the province that focuses on preserving and propagating the varied languages that existed historically and are now extinct or on the verge of getting extinct.

Objectives

• Timeless: The proposed intervention must respect the history, reflect on the present and aim for the future.
• Anchor: The proposed intervention must take inspiration from the existing architecture style of the city and feel like a part of it
• Tourists: The center would also become an important place for the Tourists. Thus, the design must look at ways to cater for them as well.  
• Vantage Point: The design must take advantage of the beautiful location and try to capture magnificent views of St John's and its harbour.

 

Context - St John’s City 

St. John's is the capital and the largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador. Downtown St John's forms the historic core as well as the central business district of St John's. The architecture style in this city is different from all the other cities in Canada. 

The major buildings here are a remnant of its history as well as prestige since it was one of the first British colonial capitals. With the growth of the city, the buildings took different styles depending on the means available to build them. 

Downtown St. John’s is also home to ‘The Rooms’, Newfoundland and Labrador’s cultural facility that united the Provincial Museum, the Provincial Art Gallery and the Provincial Archives together under a single roof. 
 

 

Context - The Rooms

The Rooms forms the largest public cultural space of Newfoundland and Labrador. It houses the most extensive collection of artefacts, art and historical records to showcase the history and present of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. 

The location of the building itself is historical too. Around 250 years ago, it inhabited Fort Townshend. It formed one of the largest British fortifications in North America at the time and defended Britain’s fishing interests. 

After 1870, its site became home to the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary and later the St. John’s Fire Department. Archaeological work was done prior to construction on the site to ensure none of the histories was lost.

Site Details 

The site for intervention lies within ‘The Rooms’ Complex. The proposed center must be imagined as an extension to the existing cultural center- The Rooms.

 

Programmatic Outline 

 

Participants must adhere to the given details for the programme. However, a few modifications to this is acceptable on the basis of design.