Local and international human rights narratives are folded seamlessly into the existing cultural landscape, with the Forks parkland rising up and folding over the building to form green roofs of prairie grass. The values and history of the Forks is thus emphasized and combined with strong lines of movement that link historic ‘celebration’ sites, the dynamic, rising forms of the museum create and celebrate a tangible cultural continuity. The roof replaces the green space lost to the city with the construction of the new museum.

The historic landscape rises in a direct and forceful gesture toward Winnipeg city, with pedestrian routes winding through the main museum arrival court, linking the museum to the daily life of the city.

The historic act of people from different places converging on the site to settle territorial and land disputes gave rise to the plan form of converging volumes.
The ramped entrance space that leads up to the museum entrance establishes a journey that begins with the crossing of the new pedestrian bridge or from the park side. The journey of the museum visitor crosses and mingles with the pedestrian movement of the local inhabitants, creating a greater possibility of chance encounters and social diversity.

River views and city views are framed in the exhibit spaces to emphasize the natural and built up landscape of the historic and contemporary worlds. The views form part of the exhibit interpretive experience with narrative text etched on the windows explaining the history of the exterior landscape; lines are drawn in the landscape linking the interior narrative with the actual physical spaces in an effort to interpret the landscape and link the history of Canada.