This very interesting proposal for a new kind of “hybridized” housing model popped up on ArchDaily recently, and we just have to share it! It’s called The Drift House.

Why do we just have to share it? Because it’s about how a giant portion of Canada is covered in icy, snowy terrain, and there’s no quality housing in the north.

The problem in the north

According to ArchDaily, “With shelters and settlements in northern Canada currently undergoing a housing crisis due to decadent construction and energy costs, the corresponding ramifications on overcrowding and deprivation have resulted.”

During the Cold War era, the Canadian Government created permanent structures in the north in the form of prefabricated government housing. This type of housing model involved all sorts of costs, such as transportation, energy consumption, labour, and relied completely on imported materials. The goal was to supply all the comforts of “southern” Canadian living to those of the north, but the truth is, it’s expensive and not working out too well. This housing model is the one that still exists.

The Drift House

Presented by Neeraj Bhatia of The Open Workshop, The Drift House is a hybrid of traditional and modern housing models. The modern style being what we’re all used to down here where it’s not always snowing, and the traditional reflecting the building style of the Inuits. When Inuits build a home, they rely on what’s available, and what’s available is snow.

What Bhatia is proposing is a home that takes advantage of the accumulation of snow. The Drift House would use snow for three different things: material, a structural counterweight, and as an enclosure.

The accumulation of snow would serve as part of the dwelling, forming an enclosure, and at the same time meshing with high tech thread materials, serving as an insulator to keep the inside warm. Bhatia’s design keeps energy costs down, supplies the comforts of a proper home, and embraces the ever-changing landscape of northern Canada.

All photos from ArchDaily.