The Big Block Construction team was thrilled to be a finalist for two awards at the NSBA 24th Annual Business Builder Awards: The Pursuit of Excellence Award and the Team Building Award. The company won the Pursuit of Excellence Award, which is awarded to the NSBA business that is an industry leader among its peers and/or within the business community.

The National Affordable Housing Corporation’s (NAHC) Willowview Heights includes one multi-unit residential building in Saskatoon that will achieve the first Net Zero Ready label for a multi-family residential building in Canada. It’s part of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association Net Zero Home Labelling program, with a goal to understand the best way to make multi-family residential buildings (MURBs) Net Zero, modular, affordable and marketable.

Kathleen Pruden hopes there will be jigging at the Round Prairie Elders’ Lodge when it opens. CUMFI’s Round Prairie Elders’ Lodge is a multi-unit residential building for Métis Elders, and it features gathering space for just such activities as jigging. Other features include accessible suites, a fireplace in the common area, and a garden. All of these features were suggested by the Elders themselves through consultations.

From 2004-08, the prairies saw huge increases in housing prices and a shortage of housing. There was an affordable housing problem in Saskatoon. The Big Block leadership successfully helped solve that shortage, but we also saw there was a need for affordable housing across Canada.We knew we had the skills and experience to make a bigger difference in the world, but we didn’t yet know how.

The Round Prairie Elders’ Lodge housing project was a first for Central Urban Métis Federation Inc. (CUMFI) — for past housing programs, they renovated older buildings rather than building something completely new. It was also the first time they built culturally-informed housing from the ground up.With so many firsts on their plate, CUMFI needed help. One organization they reached out to was the Council for the Advancement of Native Development Officers (Cando).

The price of lumber has shot up over the past two years, and the price continues to be unstable. Along with supply chain issues, there’s been a surge in new construction and renovations since the pandemic hit, putting lumber in high demand. These high prices have raised construction costs dramatically but Big Block clients have been relatively sheltered from these price fluctuations because of our focus on value engineering and our fixed price contracts. 

The creation of the Round Prairie Elders’ Lodge was a collaborative process through and through, says Jason Surkan with David T. Fortin Architect Inc. (DTFA), and it started with the Elders who might live there.“We had community engagement sessions with elders to ensure their visions and hopes and dreams were captured in this project,” Surkan said. “Hopefully what we brought forward in terms of the architecture of the building is their vision brought into reality.”

Architect David Fortin wanted to ensure there was outdoor space when designing the Round Prairie Elders' Lodge, a multi-unit residential building for Métis Elders from the Central Urban Métis Federation Inc. (CUMFI). Fortin said the Lodge will honour the culture and the Elders living there.

Big Block's Nick Sackville talked to CTV Saskatoon about why our sites haven't seen lumber theft: modular construction minimizes the number of deliveries made to the worksite, which mitigates the issue.

On Friday, April 23, Central Urban Métis Federation Inc. (CUMFI) celebrated the sod turning for the Round Prairie Elders' Lodge, a 26-unit, three-story residential building for Métis Elders.Many media organizations in Saskatoon picked up the story; read the articles here.