Transdisciplinary Design Build Studio Course in Collaboration with Shoal Lake 40 First Nation: Development and Assessment

This Innovative Practice Full Paper presents a transdisciplinary Design and Build studio course offered by the Faculties of Engineering and Architecture in a large research university in Western Canada in collaboration with Shoal Lake 40 First Nation community. The objectives of the course are to develop and execute design explorations while seeking to clarify relations between architectural and engineering criteria and the rural/natural environments in an Indigenous community. This paper describes the interpretation of the course as “education for sustainability,” and the implications of boundary crossing. The mixed methods research case study design to assess the delivery of education for sustainability is described, as well as the application of boundary crossing theory as a framework through which to view the course, design course activities, and assess course content, delivery, and student learning.