Wet West Coast

The Nuxalk Nation is also sharing knowledge and expertise of how to build energy efficient, culturally appropriate homes on the wet west coast, including a series of videos that describe the most important aspects of design and construction for combatting moisture while remaining sustainable. 

For several years, the Nuxalk Nation Housing Initiative has documented its successes in training local builders and trades, constructing and evaluating the performance of new homes, and educating the community on how to operate and maintain a new high-performance home. Nuxalk housing specialist and advisor Richard Hall, who has 35 years of building experience as an International Red Seal Carpenter, recently produced the West Coast Building Standard – Residential Construction Specifications — a publication he developed in partnership with RDH Building Science and David Wong Sea to Sky Architecture + Urban Ecology, with support from BC Hydro, BC Housing and the Province of BC.

The West Coast Building Standard incorporates recent building science technology and practices, including energy efficiency concepts, and reduced embodied carbon levels. Most importantly, the new designs featured in the Guide complement the cultural lifestyles of coastal communities.

Born and raised in the Nuxalk Nation, Bella Coola, Richard was raised, educated and mentored by his Elders. As time passed, Richard designed new homes and created a new building standard for constructing more durable homes with sustainable products, and a simple application process to provide affordable solutions.