From the moment it was erected a woodworking shop in the small Canadian town of Roberts Creek looked like it had been there for a considerable time. That was exactly the impression its award-winning designers and occupiers wanted – new, yet seemingly already steeped in history.

“It was important to look beyond the mere re-use of materials and respect the natural surroundings,” said the co-designer and owner Nicolas Meyer of Nico Spacecraft. It is built from lumber, plywood, steel siding and trusses salvaged from an old mill on the Fraser River in South Vancouver.

“For structural and safety reasons certain sections are built from virgin material – like the roof and shear walls. But at completion, nearly 85% of products used, including bay lamps, fluorescent lighting, ceiling fans, most of the doors and even the insulation, have previously served their purpose elsewhere,” said Meyer.

“Using reclaimed materials has proven cost-effective and demonstrates perfectly how wood can be reused appropriately and effectively – adding to the long list of sustainable factors that make wood one of the best choices for constructing buildings … and more.”

The 187m² woodworking shop stands 7m tall with a 1/12 sloped roof. The layout of the building minimises impact and the design called for vertical lines to reflect the natural surroundings. All windows face south to maximise the available northern hemisphere daylight time for work (decreasing the use of electric lights), as well as contributing to the efficient heating of the building during the day.

Reclaimed wood products included: Douglas fir and spruce studs, plywood sheets, doors, wooden blade ceiling fans, storage cabinets and studs from the concrete forms.

Nearly 85% of the products used have served a purpose before

“All those items were not only kept out of the landfill, or from being burned, they also eliminated the need to harvest the equivalent amount of virgin material to build this structure,” said Meyer.

“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 had to be removed for safety reasons because of extensive core rot. That reduced material transport and used wood that would otherwise be categorised as waste and thus commercially unviable stock.”

Meyer said the virgin wood products used are a “sustainable choice” – not only because they are wood, which for a vast number of reasons we all know is the most sustainable building product, but also because they were applied in ways that enhance the building’s structural stability and lifespan.

Other reclaimed materials and items included: five bay lamps, 970ftx30in of steel roofing as siding, a steel door, steel ceiling fan, fluorescent light fixtures, all insulation for the walls and a third of the attic, most 110 volt electrical switches -  all diversions from landfill.

All fluorescent lights are energy-efficient, windows are Low-e, the roof is designed to collect rainwater, cabinets and baseboards are strawboard and the paint is eco-spec (no or low VOC).

The 7m-high woodworking shop is warmed by south-facing windows

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