FORT SEVERN NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL'S PATH TO HEALTHY HOMES PROGRAM

In 2019, Two Row Architect and KPMB were invited to participate in the National Research Council’s Path to Healthy Homes program, whose goal is produce a best-practices manual for architects and engineers working with Indigenous communities.

The Two Row / KPMB team was paired with Fort Severn First Nation, the northernmost community in Ontario. The team worked closely with band leaders and community members to develop a housing typology that would help elders live independently in the community for longer, while also providing units for young families, who often end up living in overcrowded conditions with parents and siblings for lack of other options. The duplex uses stick-frame construction techniques that are familiar to the crews working in the community today, and upgrades the envelope using principles inspired by the Passive House movement. The result is a durable, easily transportable construction system that can be adapted into a variety of unit configurations depending on the evolving needs of the community.