The National Research Council, Canadian Construction Materials Centre, has been charged to produce a Technical Guide for Northern Indigenous Peoples’ Houses. The development of the Guide involves engineering and architectural tasks. The architectural task is to develop house designs that suit the First Nations and Métis peoples’ traditional methods and needs. The house designs are to be achieved through on-the-ground consultation of a minimum of 5 northern First Nations and Métis communities. The tasks involves working with First Nations/Métis leadership, establishing an Indigenous advisory group, organizing community consultation sessions, working with Indigenous architects, incorporating traditional methods into contemporary design variations, design teams to incorporate socioeconomic and cultural specificities in house designs taking into account job creation and enhanced connection to the land alongside establishing a high performance building (structure, air quality, energy efficiency, building envelope, durable materials, maintenance, etc.). The designs shall also account for long-term family shifts and seasonal shifts that may be specific to the individual, family and community needs and customs.
