A home described as the first of its kind now stands in the Nak’azdli Whuten community near Fort St. James, B.C. The home is a prototype for an Indigenous-led housing system that uses low-grade locally-sourced wood to produce prefabricated housing kits for northern communities. Advertisement AdvertisementAdvertisement Advertisement“This house means security not only in housing, but in economics and community longevity,” said Nak’azdli Whuten member Elky Taylor. They partnered with researchers at the University of Northern British Columbia’s Wood Innovation Research Lab to develop the prefabricated mass timber panel system. The mass timber panels are exposed on three sides of the home.

Source: CBC News January 02, 2026 13:17 UTC