Wanda Dalla Costa facts for kids

Wanda Dalla Costa is an amazing architect and professor. She has worked with Indigenous communities in North America for almost 20 years. Her work helps keep Indigenous cultures alive through design. She also focuses on building homes that are good for the environment. These homes are designed to handle climate change.

Wanda Dalla Costa teaches at Arizona State University. She is a professor in The Design School. She is also part of the School of Sustainable Engineering. Wanda is a member of the Saddle Lake Cree Nation. She is the first First Nations woman architect in Canada. She started her own company, Redquill Architecture Inc. It is based in Phoenix, Arizona. In 2018, she was one of 18 Indigenous architects. They represented Canada at the Venice Biennale of Architecture.

Early Life and Learning

Wanda Dalla Costa's mother is from the Saddle Lake First Nation in Alberta. Most of her mother's siblings went to residential schools. These schools were a difficult part of Canadian history. Her grandfather was from Goodfish Lake, Alberta. Her grandmother was from Saddle Lake, Alberta.

In 1990, Wanda started a big adventure. She went backpacking through Australia and New Zealand. This trip was meant to be a year-long break. But she kept traveling for seven years! She visited 37 different countries. After her travels, Wanda went to college. She earned a master's degree in Design Research. She studied at the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc). She also got another master's degree in architecture. This was from the University of Calgary. Before that, she earned a Bachelor's of Arts degree. She studied Sociology and Native Studies at the University of Alberta.

Her Career in Architecture

Wanda Dalla Costa started Redquill Architecture Inc. in 2010. Her company works only with tribal communities. She explores how to bring traditional Indigenous ideas into buildings. She wants buildings to have special meaning.

Some of her projects include the Niitsitapi Learning Centre in Calgary. She also worked on buildings at Red Crow Community College. Another project was the Fort McMurray First Nation Community Recreation Centre. She also designed the Tsuu T’ina Nation Office Building in Edmonton. Wanda is a licensed architect in Arizona and California.

She also teaches at Arizona State University (ASU). She is an Institute Professor and associate professor. Her classes often involve working on real projects. These projects help local communities. She also started the Indigenous Design Collaborative at ASU. This group designs and builds projects with local tribes in Arizona. The collaborative connects tribal members with students and teachers from ASU. It also works with people in the building industry.

Wanda is part of several important groups. She is on the board of the Construction in Indian Country Advisory Council. She leads a group focused on Indigenous Architecture Education. She is also a member of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) Indigenous Task Force. And she is part of the American Indian Council of Architects and Engineers (AICAE).

In 2017, Wanda was one of six women architects. They took part in the Venice Biennale Exhibit for Canada. The exhibit was called Unceded.

Awards and Recognition

Wanda Dalla Costa has received many awards for her work:

• 2020: Trailblazer Award from Verdical Group's annual Net Zero Conference.
• 2019: Named to the YBCA 100 by Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.
• 2018: Team Canada Finalist at the Venice Biennale.
• 2017: Buckminster Fuller Catalyst Program Finalist.
• 2017: Invited to the Buckminster Fuller Catalyst Program.

Important Projects

Wanda Dalla Costa has worked on many interesting projects. Here are a few examples:

• She helped design the Hayden Library Welcome Wall and Labriola Table in Tempe, Arizona. This was for the Indigenous People's Space.
• She worked on the Niitsitapi Early Learning Center in Calgary, Canada.
• She designed the Moodie Residence in Priddis, Canada.
• She also designed the Maurice Law Office in Saskatoon, Canada.