New Indigenous health centre offers care and a feeling of belonging

Near the Don River in central Toronto, a new building rises with unusual grace. The new home of Anishnawbe Health Toronto (AHT) does not assert itself with height or flash. It invites – with curves, with textures, with sound.Its outer skin is clad in aluminum panels, each perforated with a flowing pattern inspired by ceremonial shawls. The panels curve gently around the structure, lined by a fringe of stainless-steel beads that tremble in the wind. The beads catch the light and make a quiet, persistent music.