Haida Heritage Center HVAC and Geo-exchange Upgrades

The Haida Heritage Centre is located at Ḵay ‘Llnagaay or “Sea-Lion Town”, an ancient village site. The Centre was designed to resemble the traditional oceanside Haida village that once stood in its place with a series of traditional long houses constructed to blend into the original Haida Gwaii Museum.

This stunning 50,000 square feet Centre houses the Haida Gwaii Museum, Performance House, Carving Shed, Canoe House, Bill Reid Teaching Centre, two multipurpose classrooms, a spacious Welcome House area, and the Ḵay Bistro. Some of the organizations located within the Haida Heritage Centre include Haida Gwaii Institute, Haida Style Expeditions, Coast Guard, Haida Gwaii Restorative Justice, and the Haida Gwaii Watchmen program.

Coast Build is currently working on repairing, revitalizing, and expanding the existing but non-functional geo-exchange system. This will provide the Centre with a source of low carbon heating and cooling. In addition, we are working to upgrade the HVAC system with high efficiency components to reduce the energy loads of the building, improve ventilation, and improve the working conditions within the building. This combination of technologies will reduce the energy consumption of the Centre by 40% and contribute to the Haida Nation’s goal of being off-diesel by 2030.

Additional wraparound support is provided at every step of the project including feasibility studies, project management, and grant funding application support. In addition, Coast Build is also providing training and mentorship to local staff to ensure that the system can be properly maintained and operated in the future. This will ensure a long service life for the newly installed equipment, provide reliable and safe heating and cooling to the community, as well as develop skills within the community.