Entering the 3,600 m2 (38,750 sq. ft.) Haida Cultural Centre, the visitor passes through a coastal rainforest into a glass clad six beam welcome house affording panoramic views of the sky, sea and land of Haida Gwaii (the land of the people). 

The culture of the Haida is intrinsically linked to the natural world. Accordingly, the Cultural Centre was designed to give visitors constant and ever changing glimpses of the surrounding environment.  At the community’s request, the new Cultural Centre also references Haida iconography of longhouses and totems, and has the overall appearance of a traditional village.