Located above the Arctic Circle, Kotzebue serves as the healthcare hub for dozens of remote Iñupiat communities across Northwest Alaska—where workforce housing is essential to sustaining care. The Maniilaq Employee and Patient Housing Facilities directly addresses this need, providing purpose-built housing that supports both healthcare staff recruitment and patient access in one of the most logistically challenging regions in the country.
The approximately 104,000-sf, three-story development consists of two separate buildings—one for employee housing and one for patient housing—located adjacent to the Maniilaq health campus. The project is the first cross-laminated timber (CLT) structural building in Alaska, using prefabricated mass timber panels paired with steel framing to reduce construction time and risk in an extreme Arctic environment.
Designed for permafrost conditions and limited seasonal access, the project demonstrates how innovative structural systems and delivery strategies can expand critical healthcare infrastructure in remote communities—strengthening long-term care for the Northwest Arctic region.
