News

April 2009 - Central/Eastern Edition

Schlüter-Systems is a German company that specializes in accessories and technical solutions for the installation of floor tiles. Present in North America since 1986, the international company is getting ready to move its Canadian head office from St-Laurent to Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, in a newly-finished green building. Broccolini’s experience with LEED projects was one of the reasons the company decided to assign it the construction contract.

Located near Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue’s Ecomuseum, Schlüter Canada’s new head office will meet the US Green Building Council’s very strict criteria for the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program. The LEED certification recognizes the building projects that have demonstrated a commitment towards durability by meeting the highest performance standards. Consequently, Schlüter’s project represents a challenge due to its technical complexity and the amount of testing that shall be carried out at each stage to ensure that the LEED standards are complied with.

Occupying a surface area of 60,000 sq. ft., the three-storey building will accommodate a sprawling office space of about 30,000 sq. ft., as well as a training center. The building’s exterior design will minimize the alterations to the surrounding area, and will promote natural green spaces while minimizing maintenance. The parking area will have an underground section, and bicycle parking spaces will be installed.

The exterior envelope will be made up of granite tiles from Quebec, masonry and metal cladding. The roof will be energy efficient and the glazing will be arranged so as to maximize the natural lighting from the four sides of the building. This design will allow for maximum heat in winter, and shade screens will retain freshness in the summer.

The building’s interior includes glass partitions, radiant floors and a huge atrium in which a wall of vegetation will be installed to improve the air quality, filter the recycled rainwater for the toilets, and humidify the entire building. The project will also make provisions for 20 geothermal shafts measuring 450 to 500 ft, a complex ventilation system and solar panels for the hot water tanks.

This new green project began on November 24th, 2008 and will continue until July 2009.

About the innovations
This new facility was envisioned, designed and developed by a multidisciplinary team consisting of architects, engineers and consultants, to obtain LEED Gold (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. The building will be equipped to accommodate the growing needs of the company by encompassing 3-storeys of offices, a large training center, multimedia studio, and sampling department. The most beneficial attributes of this facility to the employees of Schluter Systems and also the environment include but are not limited to:

• Geothermal heating and cooling system
• Solar wall (heats up the air in winter at no cost)
• Canadian tunnel (200 ft. in length) heats and cools the air at no cost
• Solar roof top panels which provide all the hot water requirements
• GPS controlled skylights to allow for maximum natural sunlight
• White roof to reflect sun’s rays
• Rainwater retention chamber (grey water) to be reused throughout the building
• Indoor Living Wall to purify and humidify the air
• Waterless urinals
• In-floor radiant heating from the geothermal system
• High percentage of recycled materials
• Certified wood products
• Low emitting materials such as adhesives & paints
• As a result, the building will consume approximately 60% less energy and 40% less water than a comparable conventional building.