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Paying homage to Halifax’s rich architectural history, the buildings are equally at home in 2020 as they would be in 1820. Familiar architectural detail; clapboard wood siding, and traditional wood windows in concert with dentils, and corbels are ubiquitous in Halifax’s character-filled North End. Carefully considered human-scale design preserves the neighborhood’s walkability and architectural articulation aimed to contribute to the neighborhood fabric.
Brewery Park Exterior

Forgotten construction methods brought back to life

Wrapped in a traditional skin, the building shares little with its historical counterparts. Structural wood floor assemblies called nail laminated timber (NLT) were re-introduced. NLT’s which were commonly used in factory construction in the 19th century allows for the removal of concrete and steel, decreasing our carbon footprint while adding a unique design feature.

In sharp contrast to construction practices of that era, the buildings are one of the best performing commercial buildings in Canada for their size. Energy modeling by efficiency NS concluded they use less than half the energy of other buildings of their size.

Nail Laminated Timber (NLT) wood-framed structure

Two thousand lengths of fourteen-foot pine, sourced locally from an independent mill on the South shore of Nova Scotia provide structure, fire separation, additional ceiling height, and an amazing ceiling! It took four carpenters one month and 250,000 fasteners to connect the NLT decks.