Indigenous Project Administrative Coordinator

Being part of the ASEC design process will give you an opportunity to:

• Be involved in the design and building of a world-class, cutting-edge scientific facility that will address complex climate-related challenges facing Earth and societies;
• Be involved with First Nations organizations, communities and people through your work;
• Build networks with First Nations, private sector and government organizations and contacts;
• Gain experience in the engineering and architectural sector which is important for being part of the growing First Nations infrastructure and housing sector;
• Discover opportunities beyond the life of the project with the DSA team of companies working on the project, other private sector companies or the Government of Canada;
• Work with DSA and EXP who are both committed to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and to growing Indigenous skills and capacity in the technical fields.

What is ASEC?

The ASEC science hub is a transformational player in understanding, protecting and sustaining Atlantic freshwater and coastal saltwater aquatic ecosystems in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Atlantic Ocean regions. Five federal departments, with shared interests regarding Gulf Region ecosystems will benefit from close collaboration, shared laboratories, and collaborative approaches with many stakeholders rather than working in independent, separate initiatives. ASEC will be a world-class facility for research and education. The ASEC building will also serve as the administrative centre for the Gulf Region. ASEC is the first science hub site to be built through the 25-year Laboratories Canada strategy which envisions "a world-class national network of modern, multipurpose, federal science and technology laboratories to support collaborative, multidisciplinary research and innovation…."[1]

Examples of work taking place in ASEC include:

• Identifying the presence of species DNA in bodies of water. This detective work enables us to monitor the presence of rare and endangered species in an environment;[2]
• Understanding and predicting the interactions between wild oyster beds on the bottom of nearshore waters off Prince Edward Island (PEI) and "off-bottom" culture methods. These "off-bottom" methods use artificial collectors for baby oysters to attach to. This work is taking place through collaboration with the Province of PEI; University of PEI; Université de Moncton and Lennox Island First Nation;[3]
• Understanding why oyster aquaculture has a positive impact on eelgrass and how these two aspects can be used beneficially by using laser technology collected from airplanes, high resolution photography of the bottom of the bay and data from field teams. Eelgrass is a good habitat for many fish and provides shelter, feeding grounds, rearing grounds.[4]

Five federal departments will be working together in ASEC to advance work on aquatic ecosystems:

• Fisheries and Oceans Gulf Region;
• Environment and Climate Change Canada;
• Canada Food Inspections Agency;
• National Research Council;
• Canada Space Agency (virtual science partner).

The ASEC science hub will be working with others such as:

• Other government departments;
• Researchers in universities and the private sectors;
• Youth and students - to nurture the next generation of scientists;
• First Nations/ Indigenous communities - to incorporate traditional knowledge and collaboration on projects;
• Communities and stakeholders in New Brunswick - to incorporate local knowledge and understanding of coastal challenges.

Design of the ASEC Facility

In 2021, Diamond Schmitt Architects (DSA) was awarded a $23.6-million contract by Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) to design the new ASEC facility. DSA has partnered with the New Brunswick offices of EXP, a global engineering, architecture and design consulting company for the project. The Design Team also includes a number of companies located in New Brunswick and in other provinces specializing in various fields such as heritage, engineering, landscape architecture, acoustics, interior design, food services development, etc.

ASEC is being built on the current site of the Gulf Fisheries Centre in Moncton. The Gulf Fisheries Centre is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its cultural significance to the Acadian community. The building was initially the College Notre-Dame d'Acadie, a college and boarding school which was the first to offer degrees to Acadian women and a precursor to the Université de Moncton. The new ASEC facility will preserve aspects of its heritage features, as well as incorporate First Nations concepts into the design of the building.

The building will meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design or LEED® standards. LEED is an international standard for sustainability excellence and green building. This is especially important as laboratory buildings use more energy because of their equipment and operations. Meeting LEED standards means that the building's design will help to reduce carbon emissions, save water, conserve energy and reduce waste. The building's design also uses principles of universal accessibility to eliminate barriers and considers the health and wellness of people who work and visit the building.

ASEC will be constructed in three phases so that the original building can continue to be used during construction:

• Phase 1: site preparation beginning in early 2023;
• Phase 2: construction of the new science annex to the north of the existing building starting in late 2023;
• Phase 3: construction of the rest of the facility starting in 2027. The building is expected to be completed in 2031.

Indigenous Participation in ASEC Design Phase

Throughout the design process, the Design Team has engaged with Indigenous federal department employees, Elders and community members to obtain their input and to confirm the incorporation of Indigenous design concepts into the building's design and landscaping. In collaboration with First Nations Elders in New Brunswick, the project developed Protocols to ensure that traditional knowledge shared during the process would be respected and properly applied.

The DSA contract includes an Indigenous Participation Plan (IPP) valued at $1.57 million, representing 6% of the total contract value. This exceeds the 5% target set by the Government of Canada for Indigenous Participation Plans related to a contract. Diamond Schmitt Architects' IPP includes:

• Hiring of a Project Administrative Coordinator;
• Annual coop placements for Indigenous students;
• Scholarships for Indigenous post-secondary students;
• Initiatives to develop capacity in First Nations communities in the areas or engineering, architecture and related fields;
• A commitment to relationship building with and increasing cultural awareness of First Nations in this region through training and collaboration with Indigenous organizations, communities, peoples and companies.

About DSA and EXP

Diamond Schmitt Architects is a Canadian architectural firm headquartered in Toronto and with offices in Vancouver, Calgary and New York. Our building designs can be found across Canada and in other countries. We are proud to design authentic, socially-conscious spaces. We aim to empower people to realize their potential through fostering continuous learning and professional development. Our work culture is built on collaboration and inclusivity. For more information about us, please see https://dsai.ca/

EXP

With a mission to understand, innovate, partner and deliver, EXP provides engineering,

architecture, design and consulting services to the world's built and natural environments.

Our heritage dates back to 1906, when the earliest of EXP's predecessor companies started its

engineering infrastructure practice. Today, thousands of creative professionals across EXP work

together to deliver extraordinary experiences year after year in our locations across Canada and the United States. We're committed to providing a challenging work environment that cultivates

career growth, encourages creativity and rewards excellence. EXP is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer who fully and actively supports equal access for all people. For more information, please see https://www.exp.com/