An Indigenous People’s Experience will be at the heart of a CA$150m (US$114m, €102m, £88m) expansion of Fort Edmonton Park in Alberta, Canada.

Built on undeveloped land near the historic old fort, the CA$42m (US$32m, €28.8m, £24.6m) aboriginal interpretive centre will include an indoor exhibition space, outdoor amphitheatre, and a series of recreated traditional villages clustered around a manmade body of water.

To gain a better understanding for the experience, management at Fort Edmonton have teamed up with the Confederacy of Treaty 6 First Nations and the Métis Nation of Alberta, who will share their experiences and the history of the area.

“It will look like you’re going into something underground or into a mountain or into a hill,” said Bill Demchuk, CEO of Fort Edmonton Management Company, speaking to The Edmonton Journal.

“It wouldn’t be your typical classroom space. It’s going to be something totally different. It’s going to be like you’re walking back in time to where First Nations or Métis people would have gathered to educate or do ceremony or trade.”

The centre is the single-largest addition to the 640,000sq m (6.9 million sq ft) park, which is in the process of being turned into a year-round destination.

CA$70m (US$53.3m, €48m, £41m) has been slated to replace underground utilities installed in the 1960s, while a further CA$80m (US$61m, €54.8m, £47m) will be used to develop new attractions within the grounds, including a new grandstand, shooting gallery, 200-seat theatre and a hay-bale maze.

Rides are also on the agenda, as will a yet-to-be-named attraction which could be a tethered helium balloon ride or a traditional-style rollercoaster.

The project is scheduled for completion in 2020, though fundraising is not yet complete. The Fort Edmonton Foundation is planning to raise CA$10m (US$7.6m, €6.8m) from the public, while it is also waiting to hear about a CA$33.5m (US$25.5m, €22.3m, £19.6m) federal government contribution to match investment from the city of Alberta.