Prototype apartment building coming to housing-strapped Nain

In a coastal Labrador community where housing is sparse, a new six-unit building currently being planned could make a big difference.

Tenders are currently out for work on a state-of-the-art prototypeapartment building for Nain.

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The building will have six units, three of which will be reserved for seniors.

"These are two-bedroom units, they have open concept kitchens and living rooms," said Nunatsiavut minister Kate Mitchell.

The buildingis more cost effective than building new single family homes, Mitchell said.

"With the limited availability of good building land and the cost of developing subdivisions and lots within Nunatsiavut, we're looking at $200,000 for a lot, so to us it just makes sense."

The multi-family units will be designed with local climate and traditional ways of living in mind, as well as ensuring accessibility for elders.

Mitchell said the building will also have electric heating, solar panels, and an elevator for accessibility.

The units will also be equipped with cold porches to minimize heat loss and provide a cold space for traditional food and skins, along with sheds for outdoor storage.

"It's called a prototype because it's an experiment," Mitchell said.

"This building will be the most energy efficient, it should be the best design for our way of life and our climate, so we'll be monitoring all that and we hope to incorporate it into our housing strategy."

The prototype will be studied by the Nunatsiavut housing working group and if it works out, they hopeto build more in the future.

Mitchell said Nunatsiavut intends to have the exterior of the apartment building completed before the snow comes and the building totally completed by February 2017.