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Case Study

Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre

Year Completed

2008

Capital Cost

$30M

Total Size

38k sqft.

About This Project

Located on the shared traditional territories of the Squamish and Lil’wat Nations in Whistler’s Upper Village, the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre was built to share Indigenous culture and deepen understanding and respect among all people.

This award-winning three-storey wood building incorporates modern sustainable design, while drawing its aesthetic inspiration from the traditional dwellings of both nations: the longhouses of the Squamish people and the Istken, or earthen pit houses, of the Lil’wat people.

The Great Hall, with 22 foot high ceilings, 220 foot glass plank walls, and indoor and outdoor exhibition spaces, highlights the centre’s spaces. Also notable are an 80-seat multimedia theatre, a cafe that offers Indigenous-inspired fare, and a patio that overlooks Blackcomb Mountain.

On top of being a memorable venue for musical performances, lectures, private events, weddings, and other gatherings, the centre has become a destination in Whistler since it opened in 2008.

Scope of Services

BKL was retained by Toby Russell Buckwell Architects (now RATIO Architecture) to consult on room acoustics for the 80-seat multimedia theatre, the Great Hall and its lobby. BKL also provided recommendations for noise isolation between the theatre and the adjacent gift shop and corridor.

Theatre Acoustics

To optimize the aural experience of visitors, BKL analyzed the theatre space, set criteria for reverberation times, and made recommendations for room finishings to make sure the acoustics would be consistent for both large and small audiences. The goal was to create an acoustical environment that would support each of the theatre’s intended uses: lectures, musical performances, and video presentations. Because musical performances and speech have different acoustical requirements, BKL took a balanced approach to design; in doing so, it ensured the theatre would facilitate clear speech for lectures and also provide a lively venue for music.

In particular, BKL designed the walls to reflect sound laterally toward the audience. This serves to enhance speech intelligibility by strengthening the source signal, i.e., the speaker, while also adding liveliness to musical performances.

Moreover, the team specified where to locate the overhead cedar veneer sound reflectors, outlined criteria for door construction and acoustical seals, and recommended the addition of diffusive elements to the sidewalls and stage.

Acoustical Challenges

The building won an award for its use of wood—and there’s lots of it, especially western red cedar. But the cedar-slat treatment proposed from some areas has a tendency to absorb low-end frequencies and take the thump out of some musical performances. BKL made suggestions to adapt the design to include fewer cedar-slat panels in key areas, to benefit the space’s musical acoustics.

Sound Isolation

To establish adequate sound isolation between the theatre and adjacent gift shop, BKL specified details for wall construction, thickness, and materials. For the wall between the theatre and corridor, which includes stairs and a bank of lockers, BKL proposed changes that would help limit noise from lockers opening and closing and people on the stairs, and protect the ambient noise levels in the theatre.

Great Hall Acoustics

For the Great Hall and lobby, BKL proposed criteria for lower reverberation times and moderate ambient noise levels, as well as the necessary finishings to achieve such criteria. These design factors help control the buildup of sound energy that can often occur when large groups gather.

Project Benefits

The Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre offers visitors a one-of-a-kind opportunity to experience Indigenous culture through art, design, cuisine, and stories. By ensuring the acoustical environment supports the building’s diverse uses, BKL brought additional functionality to this unique and engaging facility.

Select Awards and Certificates

2008 Canadian Wood Council Award – Western Red Cedar

The People Behind Our Work

Our Technical Leads

  • Paul Marks
    Paul Marks

    M.Sc., MIOA

    Vice President, Project Delivery

    Paul Marks

    Paul Marks, M.Sc., MIOA

    Vice President, Project Delivery

    Paul Marks joined BKL in 2013. He is a full corporate member of the UK Institute of Acoustics and the Canadian Acoustical Association. He has over 20 years’ experience in the measurement, analysis, and assessment of noise, vibration, and acoustical matters and is a former member of the technical advisory team working with the UK government on noise and statutory nuisance issues. During this time, Paul has undertaken major projects within Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

    He has experience in a wide range of multi-disciplinary environmental assessment projects including highway, rail, and air transportation infrastructure, mixed-use and brownfield regeneration schemes, renewable energy facilities, and power generation plants.

    Paul also has experience in a broad range of building and architectural noise assessment projects including the design of residential, office, educational, and commercial buildings. He has also undertaken acoustical studies for major infrastructure developments including work in the design of appropriate sound-fields for room-spaces in multi-occupancy buildings, including atriums and performance spaces. His work regularly involves close liaison with other acoustical engineers, planning consultants, architects, designers, and a variety of specialist environmental consultants.

    Paul is an experienced expert witness within the UK and has a broad experience of planning, licensing and statutory nuisance proceedings as well as being responsible for the successful design of a variety of impact mitigation measures including detailed engineering solutions, lay-out design, and administrative regimes where it has been necessary to closely liaise with clients, designers, and regulatory bodies in order to provide developments in accordance with sustainable principles.

  • Katrina Scherebnyj
    Katrina Scherebnyj

    M.A.Sc., P.Eng., MIOA

    Technical Director, Building Acoustics

    Katrina Scherebnyj

    Katrina Scherebnyj, M.A.Sc., P.Eng., MIOA

    Technical Director, Building Acoustics

    Katrina Scherebnyj started consulting in acoustics in 2007 in England and joined BKL in 2014. Her experience covers architectural acoustics, mechanical noise control, and environmental noise control, and she has worked on major projects in Canada, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

    In architectural acoustics, Katrina has worked on a range of new builds and refurbishment projects including schools, universities and higher education facilities, hospitals and healthcare facilities, performance spaces, cinemas, laboratories, office buildings, hotels, and residential buildings. She has provided acoustical design services in relation to sound insulation, room acoustics, and noise control.

    Katrina was a co-author of Music Accommodation in Secondary Schools: A Design Guide, published for the UK Department for Education in 2010. Researching the guide, she carried out acoustical measurements in the music departments of several schools and interviewed music teachers and students on the suitability of their music spaces.

    Katrina has extensive experience modelling internal sound fields and has carried out numerous models of performance spaces, lecture theatres, and other spaces where acoustical design is critical. She also has experience modelling outdoor noise propagation and has constructed and reviewed noise models for Columbia Containers in Vancouver, BC Children’s and Women’s Hospitals, the Pinnacle (once planned to be London’s tallest building), Crossrail, and other transportation projects.

    Katrina is a member of the Canadian Acoustical Association and the Institute of Acoustics (UK).

  • Henning Schlechtriem
    Henning Schlechtriem

    M.Sc.

    Managing Specialist Acoustical Consultant

    Henning Schlechtriem

    Henning Schlechtriem, M.Sc.

    Managing Specialist Acoustical Consultant

    Henning Schlechtriem, M.Sc., joined BKL in February 2020. He has 8 years of international project experience working as professional acoustical consultant in the design and assessment of residential and non-residential buildings.

    Henning has a Master’s Degree in Acoustics with Environmental Applications and a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering with specialization in building physics and acoustics. His professional expertise focuses on the fields of architectural and environmental acoustics. He is a proficient with software such as Odeon, SoundPLAN, STRUTT, Insul, Rhino+Grasshopper, Max/MSP, and with measurement equipment from Brüel And Kjær, NTi and Norsonic.

    He has worked together with architects, investors, municipalities, as well as structural and mechanical engineers, covering a wide range of projects including office, residential, and mixed-use buildings, hotels, hospitals, schools, and cultural venues. His work has involved the acoustical design and on-site assessment of room acoustics, sound insulation including flanking transmission, environmental noise and noise from building services.

    Henning has given presentations to architects and technical planners to share his knowledge about the acoustical design of masonry, concrete and lightweight constructions, timber-concrete hybrid buildings and general acoustical challenges during the design of buildings.

    He is a member of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Akustik, the German Association of Acoustics (DEGA) and is an Approved Assessor for Acoustics and Building Physics at the Chamber of Engineers in NRW and Hessen (Germany).

  • Headshot of Andrew Williamson
    Andrew Williamson

    P.Eng., B.S.M.E.

    Specialist Acoustical Consultant

    Headshot of Andrew Williamson

    Andrew Williamson, P.Eng., B.S.M.E.

    Specialist Acoustical Consultant

    A graduate of the University of Victoria, Andrew Williamson holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and has practiced as an acoustical consultant in BC for over two decades. He joined BKL in 2023.

    During his career, Andrew has worked on numerous projects involving environmental noise assessments, building noise and vibration control, and architectural acoustics. As a project manager, Andrew has led acoustics teams on a variety of projects across sectors including cultural and recreation, education and research, health care, industrial, commercial, and residential.

    Andrew has attended public meetings, open houses, and government-sponsored working groups to present and discuss technical information with the public, municipal councils, and members of the government and other organizations. In addition, Andrew has acted as an expert witness in BC Supreme Court and participated in a joint review panel hearing for the environmental assessment of a major infrastructure project.

    Andrew is a Professional Engineer registered with Engineers and Geoscientists BC.