Sustainability and Self-reliance: Cooperative Approaches in the Design and Development of Housing Components within Inuit Communities

Much has been written on the Inuit housing crisis in the Canadian Arctic. Strains on existing public housing are creating health and sociocultural issues within Inuit communities. The North has a high rate of unemployment and there is a need to develop businesses to allow for a young, growing population to become more self-reliant. Energy-efficient fenestration is a vital component for the northern sustainable house. These topics are explored in the literature review and data analysis. The research brought together private and public sector experts from across Canada to generate knowledge-based suggestions which, after convergent analysis, led to the identification of critical barriers for establishing the development of a northern fenestration system that could be maintained and manufactured within Inuit communities. The study demonstrated how a holistic cooperative approach of multi-sectorial partnerships could be used to assist in the development of a design guideline for an Arctic specific fenestration system.