The Canadian Canoe Museum

The Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough, Ontario, is a purpose-built facility that showcases over 600 historically and culturally significant paddle-powered watercraft under one roof. Located on the shores of Little Lake and the Traditional Territory of the Williams Treaties First Nations, the museum sits lightly on its five-acre site. Designed to support learning, cultural exchange, and hands-on experiences, the 65.000 sq.ft. building includes a 20,000 sq. ft. exhibition hall, a lakefront events and education centre, a canoe-building studio, and an adjacent canoe house and dock for on-water programming. Throughout the interior and exterior spaces, Indigenous languages, perspectives, and traditions—including provisions for smudging ceremonies—are thoughtfully integrated.

Architecturally, the building draws inspiration from the form and materials of the canoe. Its structure combines glulam columns and beams with cross-laminated timber (CLT) wall panels, steel elements, and a hybrid roof system of CLT and metal deck. CLT is also used for interior walls alongside poured-in-place concrete, while the floor system consists of metal deck and concrete slab. The exposed mass timber structure is protected by a high-performance envelope. Natural light is carefully controlled to preserve the collection, with generous glazing introduced where appropriate—most notably at the entrance, where the cladding lifts to reveal a bright, double-height lobby space.

The long, narrow footprint of the museum follows the lakeshore and road allowance like a front porch to the landscape, emphasizing connection to place. Outdoor features such as a rain garden, campfire circle, portage path, and shoreline docks create opportunities for exploration from both land and water. Through an integrated project delivery model and collaborative design process, the project reflects a deep respect for land, water, culture, and craft—resulting in a facility that is not only net-zero ready but rooted in story and stewardship.