Kitasoo Women's Shelter
Alma Blackwell is a 97-unit, 7-storey affordable housing project in Vancouver. We carried the full mechanical scope, including plumbing, HVAC, refrigeration, controls, and fire protection.
Overview
The Kitasoo Women’s Shelter is a new safe house facility for the Kitasoo Xai’xais First Nation in Klemtu, BC, a remote community on BC’s Central Coast accessible only by float plane or boat. Funded through CMHC and designed by Unison Architecture, the building draws from local culture and landscape to create a safe, welcoming space for women and children. We delivered the full mechanical scope including domestic hot water with recirculation, central HRV ventilation, and electric baseboard heating.
The Challenge
Klemtu is only accessible by float plane or boat. Every material, tool, and piece of equipment needed to reach the site through remote logistics, with no local supply chain to fall back on if something was missed. The mechanical systems also needed to be simple, reliable, and easy to maintain without specialized service access nearby.
The Resolution
We designed and installed a fully electric, zero-GHG mechanical system suited to the constraints of a remote coastal community. A central HRV provides fresh air ventilation throughout. Domestic hot water is supplied by an electric tank with a recirculation loop. Space heating runs on electric baseboards, keeping the system dependable and maintenance-friendly. The building produces no greenhouse gas emissions. Completion is expected at the end of June 2026.