Housing shortages are affecting many cities around the world and Canada is not impervious to the continually growing population's demand for adequate homes. Iqaluit, Nunavut is yet another city ailed by housing scarcity due to the limited availability of local resources, lack of specialized trades' people and the harsh local climate that deteriorates most structures. This thesis will delve into the underlying factors currently propagating the continuing housing scarcity and decay in Iqaluit,

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... avut and will seek a new housing type to better accommodate the local population. At present existing western housing developments do not address nor reflect the rich and varied cultural background of locals which restricts traditional way of life. Key factors that help define the objectives and design parameters have been derived from background research into the socio-cultural, climate and current labour and resource realities of the region. The Northern Housing Project with the help of western co-housing concepts will address the needs of the local indigenous inhabitants as well as the requirements of the immigrating population.