Green Building
The New But Historic Workshop | Roberts Creek, BC
Nico Spacecraft
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
Completed in August 2009, this 2010 sq ft, primary use woodworking shop stands 23 feet tall with 1/12 sloped roof. The layout of the building is such to minimize impact and the design calls for vertical lines to reflect the natural surroundings. All windows are facing south to maximize the available daylight time for work (decreasing the use of electrical lights) as well as to contribute to the efficient heating of the building during the day.
This building, although just recently constructed, looks like it belongs here and is already steeped with history. It was important to look beyond the mere re-use of materials and respect the natural surroundings. It is built from lumber, plywood, steel siding and Wilson trusses salvaged from an old mill on the Fraser River in South Vancouver. Certain sections are built from virgin material, such as the roof and shear walls, for structural and safety reasons. At completion, nearly 85 per cent of products used, including bay lamps, fluorescent lighting, ceiling fans, most of the doors and even the insulation, have served their purpose previously elsewhere.
The use of other reclaimed materials has proven to not only be a cost-effective approach but also demonstrates perfectly how wood can, appropriately and effectively, be re-used and, as such, adds to the long list of sustainable factors that make wood one of THE best choices for constructing buildings…and more.
Wood materials used:
Reclaimed wood products:
- 5244 ft of 2×8 Douglas fir studs
- 200 ft of 2×4 spruce studs
- 159 sheets of 4×8 plywood
- 3 doors
- 2 wooden blade ceiling fans
- Storage cabinets
- Studs from the concrete forms
All these items were not only kept out of the landfill or from being burned but also eliminated the need to harvest the equivalent amount of virgin material to build this structure. The superior strength of well-seasoned, first-growth (old) Douglas fir added to the lifespan of the building. Cedar siding for the south wall was milled on site from trees that required removal for safety reasons due to extensive core rot; this decreased material transport and utilized wood which would be categorized as “waste” and, as such, be commercially unviable stock.
Project team:
Architectural:
Jess & Nicolas Meyer
Nico Spacecraft
3037 Grauman Road
Roberts Creek, BC
V0N 2W1
604.885.8937
nm@nicospacecraft.com
Structural:
John Enevoldson Engineering
624 Pratt Road
Gibson, BC
V0N 1V4
604.886.3500
Construction:
Lawrence Laroche
Monique Duchesne
Techno Dismantling
Vancouver BC
604.727.2469
