The Northwest Territories Housing Corporation (NWTHC) has long strived for  sustainable and affordable housing in NWT communities which meets local housing  needs, energy efficiency and affordability goals and supports vibrant and safe  communities. As communities across northern Canada struggle to meet the needs  of shifting demographics, the NWTHC is constructing a 17 unit residential complex  in Inuvik to meet the increasing singles population in the community. 

The tenant demographic is between the ages of 20-65 with the majority under the  age of 35. Many of the tenants receive financial support and spend considerable  time in their apartment. The building and its systems are designed to be simple in  concept, low in maintenance, and constructed of durable, and non-toxic materials.  The facility is designed for longevity in an extreme cold-climate environment and  has achieved over a 50% reduction in energy use from the National Energy Code  2011.  

The building design is sensitive to site and orientation with large windows to provide  daylight to occupants. The building includes a 10kW photovoltaic array in the south  for solar energy harvesting and employs the concept of microunits which increase  density, allowing for more units in a smaller building. This option is a more cost  effective way of providing housing for more clients. Several iterations of microunits  were prepared ensuring that the majority of NWTHC spatial requirements were  achieved and liveability was not compromised.