Last month, the second annual Arctic Inspiration Prize was awarded to a residential design/construction research project, benefitting the Canadian Arctic and its inhabitants.
SakKijânginnatuk Nunalik is a Nunatsiavuk housing project that involves a plan to build and monitor the northern Labrador Inuit community’s first sustainable, multi-unit residential dwelling, and establish a prototype for Northern housing development addressing the changing northern climate, infrastructure requirements, and Inuit housing needs.
Team members from the Nunatsiavut Government, the Nunatsiavut Joint Management Committee, the Nain Research Centre, and Memorial University received $350,000 from the awards program to get their plan off the ground.
“With the generous support offered through the Arctic Inspiration Prize, our team will be developing sustainable housing solutions for Nunatsiavummiut, and addressing an urgent need for culturally-relevant, energy-efficient, climate-adapted, affordable housing,” said Nunatsiavut Government’s Deputy Minister, Isabella Pain. “This prize will allow the Sustainable Communities Initiative to develop housing that is designed and built by Inuit for Inuit, creating a foundation for thriving Arctic communities.”
Two other projects—one about mobilizing parents on Inuit education and the other about developing community-based science that meets specific needs—shared in the $1 million prize, which was announced at program organizers ArcticNet’s annual scientific meeting in Halifax.
