The Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg, Canada, designed by Antoine Predock Architects, is carved into the earth while dissolving into the sky on the Winnipeg horizon. The design concept is rooted in humanity, and is a metaphor of the fundamental commonality of humankind – a symbolic apparition of ice, clouds and stone, set on the ground.

The museum journey is actually the epic journey through life. Visitors enter the building between the Roots – protective stone arms, suggesting an ancient geological event. As they are containing the important public interface functions of the museum, the Roots create a framework for outdoor ceremonies with roof terraces and amphitheater seating.

The Great Hall is the heart of the building and its a archaeologically rich void evokes the memory of ancient gatherings. The Garden of Contemplation is Winnipeg’s Winter Garden. Medicinal plants and water give the character to the place, suggesting the content. The space of the garden acts as a purifying “lung”, reinforcing the fundamental environmental ethic, which grounds the building of Canadian Museum.

The culmination of the journey is in an ascent of the timeless Tower of Hope, offering panoramic views of the city, sky and the natural realm. The tower speaks to the life, affirming hope for positive changes in humanity, symbolized in the physical state of water. The cloud, as a vaporous state, houses the functional support of the Museum and is envisioned as light filled and buoyant, providing a visible reminder of the power and necessity of hope and tolerance.