NZ MB

NZ MB was designed to be the first Net Zero Micro Brewery in the country. Every element of is design, from its simple form and orientation, to the materiality and building systems prioritized the goal of being net-zero. It was conceived of as a CLT structure to provide both a warm natural wood aesthetic to the interior, as well as to ensure the structure of the building would sequester carbon over time. The building was meant to be clad in black Shu-Sugi Ban (Charred) wood siding. The black exterior delivers a pronounced natural + durable aesthetic perfectly defining the building in the Prairie landscape. The program for the building was as unique as the design. In addition to the Micro Brewery, the program included a pub which would have sold the expertly brewed products of the brewery. Finally the west portion of the building was intended to be the owners residence as well as offer a couple short term stay apartments. In order to achieve the net-zero status, the building is designed using passive house principles which informed its' orientation, form, glazing ratios and high R-value building envelope. Furthermore, high efficiency building systems including a geo-exchange loop were to be used to ensure minimal energy use. While a rooftop solar array and small scale wind turbines were to be employed to generate renewable electricity for the building. If realized this would have been a landmark project in Net Zero architecture.

The concept of NZ MB entailed re-interpreting the traditional Viking Longhouse. Traditionally the long house involved a simple A-frame form, rectangular building in which the living quarters were located in the center; while the craft or making spaces and production (farming or livestock) spaces were located on either end. The re-interpreted modern manifestation of the Longhouse involved re-ordering the program to place the craft space in the center, and place the living and produce areas on either end. In addition the tradional A-frame form was optimized to maximize the efficiency of the rooftop solar array.

The massing of NZ MB was intentionally kept very simple. It was driven by the concept of creating a modernized longhouse as well as the desire to optimize the design for the electrical production of the rooftop solar array. The first step was to align the mass so the long side of the rectangle was oriented east-west. After the mass was extruded, the north edge of the roof was lifted to ensure the solar array would be angled to the south. This mass was then further optimized by lifting the southwest and northwest corners. This ensured the required roof height for the programming within the building, while also ensuring a slight easterly angle to the roof. Solar panel efficiency is maximized in the mornings, therefore this mass will ensure the optimal electrical production from the rooftop solar array.