The Living Libations headquarters is a four-level 1,974-m2 production lab and office facility that starts from a structural floating slab on a continuous R-50 layer of high-density EPS unbroken around the edges of the floating slab and up the exterior of the first level’s 2.7-meter-high concrete walls. This solid foundation thermally separates the building from the exposed Precambrian Canadian Shield on which it is built. The three stories above are composed of an innovative wood structure of 2 x 8 framed walls and cross-laminated timber (CLT) floor systems that support both the indoor spaces and 260 square meters of rooftop terraces. The 2 x 8 walls are wrapped in a smart air- and vapor-control layer and insulated with mineral wool. The walls are wrapped by a pioneering 20-cm EPS insulation panel with an embedded cladding attachment system, which all but eliminates thermal bridging from the locally manufactured steel siding. This R-48 wall system houses 75 meticulously installed triple-glazed 0.6 W/m2 K cold-climate Passive House timber windows.
The building’s six air-to-air heat pumps function well at –25°C yet don’t have to work hard to keep this building comfortable through –30°C winter nights and 30°C summer days. The evacuated solar tubes on the roof fully heat water spring, summer, and fall and even prewarm it in winter. A planned PV system is expected to offset all utility bills. From the locally sourced white pine fourth-level ceiling to the formaldehyde-free interior maple-finished walls and eco-floors throughout, this healthy building provides more than a workplace for the company’s 50—and growing—staff.