Naut’sa Mawt - Supportive Housing
1679 McPhee Avenue, Courtenay, BC
Driven by curiosity and built on purpose, this is where bold thinking meets thoughtful execution. Let’s create something meaningful together.
Project Type: New Construction
Naut'sa mawt (pronounced not-sa mott), a Coast Salish word meaning "together as one," is a five-storey wood-frame building offering 40 affordable homes prioritized for Indigenous people, owned and managed by the Wachiay Friendship Centre Society. The building features a mix of studio and one-bedroom units, with nearly 80% of units fully accessible or adaptable, and was designed to support people with diverse needs. Located adjacent to the Wachiay Friendship Centre — which provides over 50 programs and services to the community — the project was made possible through a combined investment of more than $10.4 million from federal, provincial, and local government partners, including BC Housing and CMHC. The building opened in spring 2025.
Muir Engineering provided full electrical consulting services for the project, working alongside MacDonald Hagarty Architects and M'akola Development Services. The scope included power distribution design, BC Hydro service coordination, fire alarm and life safety systems, suite and common area lighting to ASHRAE standards, and a full low voltage package covering network, security, access control, and intercom systems. The project was designed to meet BC Housing's Design Guidelines and Construction Standards, including energy performance requirements under the BC Energy Step Code — with sustainability measures aligned to federal and provincial funding requirements targeting net-zero energy readiness.