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How to Maximize Daylight and Insulation in Canada’s Arctic (Where Shipping Season is 3 Months a Year)
Designing education facilities in Canada’s Arctic North takes commitment and accommodation to unique constraints including temperature, logistics, and limited natural daylight. Nunavut Arctic College’s Nunatta Campus expansion is an educational and cultural center that was designed by Teeple Architects and Cibinel Architecture Ltd., completed in November 2018.
⚠️ The Arctic Design Challenge
During the design process, the project architects had many obstacles to overcome:
- Spatial Interconnectivity: Creating functional flow in educational and cultural center
- Extreme Logistical Constraints: Iqaluit, Nunavut is a remote community located on an island in the Arctic—all construction materials are either shipped or flown in, with shipping season limited to 3 times a year (June-October)
- Outdoor/Warehouse Storage: Many materials stored outdoors or in heated warehouse to keep project on schedule
- The Competing Desires Dilemma: “A balance achieved between the competing desires of insulating the building as much as possible against the Arctic cold while simultaneously bringing in natural light and taking advantage of the beautiful views to the harbor and the landscape beyond”
The core challenge: How do you maximize insulation against Arctic cold while simultaneously maximizing natural daylight and views—when these goals typically conflict?
✓ The Solution: Solera® R-18 for Arctic Performance
Teeple and Cibinel Architects worked to find solutions to these three challenges with the aid of material manufacturers of this project, including Advanced Glazings Ltd.
Solera® was considered as a possible solution to help the architects overcome the daylighting and thermal performance challenges. AGL provided support to the architectural team to help them identify the best Solera® product and VLT (Visual Light Transmittance) and insulation options to address the daylighting and thermal performance challenges of this project.
The Result: By choosing AGL’s Solera® R-18, Teeple and Cibinel Architects were able to achieve both insulation and natural daylight.
The Technical Design: Solera® R-18 + Vision Glass
Technical design of the college expansion needed a translucent glazing that would not only provide high thermal performance for this remote arctic location, but also diffuse natural daylight deep into the school for students to have access to natural daylight during their time spent indoors.
The combination of Solera® R-18 and vision glass provided:
✓ Natural daylight diffused deep into the school
✓ Stunning arctic views to the harbor and landscape
✓ High thermal performance (R-18 insulation value)
✓ Connection for students, workers, and community
✓ Student engagement while breaking down social barriers
✓ Functional and beautiful space
Building occupants would have access to natural daylight and stunning arctic views to help connect students, workers, and the community to foster student engagement while breaking down potential social barriers.
The South Façade Strategy: Equal Light Distribution in All Directions
Teeple and Cibinel Architects chose “a combination of Solera® R-18 insulated glazing and clear triple glazed panels is used on the south façade and clerestory windows to direct equal amounts of light in all directions, creating a diffused and full spectrum of light.”
Solera® R-18, with its insulation and light diffusing properties, was a building block to help them get it right. Teeple and Cibinel architects created a beautiful, energy efficient, and naturally daylighted building where both students and community can study and connect.
The Takeaway: Solving “Competing Desires” in Extreme Climates
The Nunavut Arctic College project proves that “competing desires”—maximum insulation vs. maximum daylight—can be resolved with the right product. When you’re designing in Canada’s Arctic with a 3-month shipping season and materials stored outdoors, you need solutions that work the first time.
The Nunavut Arctic College Success Formula:
✓ **Arctic Location:** Iqaluit, Nunavut (remote island community)
✓ **Extreme Logistics:** 3-month shipping season (June-October), materials stored outdoors
✓ **Solera® R-18:** High thermal performance + natural daylight diffusion
✓ **South Façade Strategy:** Combination with triple glazed panels for equal light distribution
✓ **Clerestory Windows:** Direct light in all directions, full spectrum
✓ **Harbor Views:** Stunning arctic views to landscape beyond
✓ **Student Engagement:** Natural daylight fosters connection and breaks down social barriers
✓ **Educational & Cultural Center:** Serves students, workers, and community
✓ **Completed November 2018:** Beautiful, energy efficient, naturally daylighted building
AGL was pleased to assist in the early work and to be part of the successful completion of this project. We congratulate the entire design team on creating such a beautiful building despite the inherent challenges.