A Vancouver based company is supporting the Village of Lytton and Lytton First Nations in their recovery and rebuilding efforts after the day that changed the small community along the Fraser and Thompson Rivers forever. With over a year having passed since the Lytton Creek Fire, multiple announcements are moving residents closer and closer to returning home.
Nexii Building Solutions, a climate-friendly construction company, announced it will rebuild the first two homes in the Lytton fire zone in collaboration with the Village of Lytton and Lytton First Nation. The low-carbon, fire resilient homes will be built using a proprietary material Nexii calls ‘nexiite,’ a move the company said will make the homes more fire resistant with less carbon output .
“Nexii’s non-flammable, low carbon products and innovative design create climate resilient buildings for communities vulnerable to fires. In close collaboration with the village of Lytton and the Lytton First Nation, we are proud to contribute to the rebuilding of this community with our green building solutions,” said Executive Vice President of Nexii Gregor Robertson.
The homes will be manufactured off-site at Nexii’s Squamish based production facility and later transported in Lytton for assembly. The company said this will cut production time in half, leaving ‘near-zero’ construction waste. Nexii said the design of the new homes will create a thermal envelope, regulating the temperature in the home and saving future heating and cooling costs for the homeowner.
The Village of Lytton and Lytton First Nation received over $126 million in funding since the beginning of 2022, allowing for assessments on infrastructure and municipal services, the rebuilding of a village office, and planning for rebuilding. The B.C. government said the site should be ready for the next phases of rebuilding, including planning and permitting, this fall. Village officials are hoping to rebuild in a resilient manner and support residents.
“The wildfire that engulfed the town of Lytton has completely devastated all residents. I hope to rebuild a town that is better able to withstand any future fires and provide homes that you can live in comfortably without barriers as needs change,” said Jan Polderman, mayor of Lytton.
Lytton First Nation is also supportive of the deal with Nexii, adding that the innovative design and construction of the new housing gives community members a sense of confidence. They hope to research more housing options such as Nexii in their effort to provide quality housing for members.
“Delivering universally designed and fire resilient housing directly helps my community to have a more stable and safer life that keeps our families closer to the main social circles in the community,” said Chief Janet Webster.
“The Lytton First Nation will continue to research home build technologies like Nexii in providing safe and affordable homes for our community members.”
While Nexii will construct and assemble the new homes, the rebuild project is spearheaded by the not-for-profit SAFERhome Standards Society. The organization supports universal design principles to Canada’s housing sector. Members of the Building Supply Industry Association of BC, Levven Technologies, and Western Forest Products are donating local mass timber for the roof structure of the homes.
