SOLAR TODAY - September/October 2010

case study

Architectural revival in the Arctic

CCHrC

Construction materials and equipment for new houses must be flown into Anaktuvuk Pass, making the weight and dimensions of all building materials a major financial consideration.

iStoCkPHoto © dAWn niCHolS By mike koshmrl

Just about two degrees north of the Arctic Circle, 55 miles west of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, is the village of Anaktuvuk Pass. The name means “place of caribou drop- pings” in Inupiaq, the traditional local anguage. This is a part of the United States where the primary means of locomoting is on ATVs and snow mobiles, and you’re much more likely to find a caribou steak on your plate than beef or chicken. Nestled in an isolated valley of the Brooks Range, Anaktuvuk Pass is a place of extremes — in both temperatures and the lengths of days. It’s also the location of an exciting experiment in Arctic architecture, one that could help shape the future of residential building in the far north.

Designed by the Cold Climate Housing Research Center (CCHRC) of Fairbanks, a

limited funds, Access
Create Housing Hassles

Although quite small (and getting smaller — there were only 256 residents according to the 2009 census estimate), Anaktuvuk Pass is in the midst of a housing crunch. New buildings in town are usually provided to residents through the TNHA. The TNHA serves eight communi-prototype home has combined modern sustainable building techniques with the traditional building methods of the Nunamiut, the inland group of Inupiat who settled the valley in the early 1950s. The project is a combined effort of the CCHRC, the Tagiugmiullu Nunamiullu Housing Authority (TNHA), the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council (YRITWC) and Ilisagvik College.