In addition to a commitment to social sustainability, Kwayatsut achieves a significant level of environmental sustainability. Sustainable design strategies include: optimized exterior wall assemblies / low window to wall ratio, ground source heat pump system / energy recovery ventilation, radiant hot water heating, solar shading, reduced lighting density, low-flow fixtures, and enhanced ventilation to living units.
Kwayatsut is a partnership between BC Housing, the City of Vancouver, the Broadway Youth Resource Centre (BYRC) and the Vancouver Native Housing Society (VNHS). This initiative focuses on providing safe, secure, rental housing in response to the homelessness crisis in Vancouver.
The project consists of three major components:
Residential
The residential component, consisting of ninety-nine self-contained units of housing plus amenity / support space, is intended for people who are homeless or at risk of being homeless. Thirty of the units are for youth.
Commercial
The commercial component is owned, managed and leased by the City of Vancouver.
Youth Resource Centre
The BYRC is a multi-agency centre providing a range of social, health, housing, education, employment and life skills services to homeless and at-risk youth between the ages of 12 and 24.
