GNWT releases 4th Edition of the Good Building Practice for Northern Facilities design guide

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Yellowknife — April 15, 2021

Today, the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNTW) released the 4th Edition of the Good Building Practice for Northern Facilities.The design guide is an extensive update to the 2009 edition, and incorporates 10 years of research and development in new codes and standards.

Managing the full lifecycle of infrastructure in the North requires a deep awareness and understanding of the unique challenges and risks arising from harsh climatic conditions. The design guide supplements national building codes and standards when planning, designing, constructing, and maintaining infrastructure in remote cold regions. It is intended for owners, developers, planners, designers and builders, as well as suppliers, building maintainers and operators.

 The 4th Edition of the Good Building Practice for Northern Facilities adds new sections for environmental regulations; climate change; and civil, environmental, geotechnical, and hazardous building material assessment considerations, and incorporates new technologies and methods designed for northern infrastructure.

Quote

“The 4th Edition of the Good Building Practice for Northern Facilities addresses changes over the last decade by incorporating new standards and technologies that will help ensure more sustainable development for our northern buildings. It draws upon the extensive knowledge and experiences of a wide variety of people and companies and will continue to assist all stakeholders of the design and construction industry in creating quality buildings in the North.”

-Diane Archie, Minister of Infrastructure

Quick facts

  • The 4th Edition of the Good Building Practice for Northern Facilities design guide supplements the objectives of national codes and standards.
  • This design guide presents a compilation of best practices and requirements developed over many decades of experience designing and building in cold regions.
  • In preparing the updated design guide, the GNWT has drawn upon expertise from within the Department of Infrastructure, other GNWT departments, and private sector agencies.

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Media Requests, please contact:

Department of Infrastructure

Government of the Northwest Territories

INF_Communications@gov.nt.ca