Revitalizing an industrial warehouse into a zero-carbon headquarters
Faced with a new hybrid work model, United Auto Parts (UAP) took the opportunity to breathe new life into its Montreal headquarters to better adapt to the needs of its employees. Now a completely revitalized campus-style office that encourages greater synergy between teams, the structure integrates into its surrounding neighbourhood with a significantly reduced carbon footprint. Through sustainable strategies, it is the first office building in Canada to achieve a ZCB-Design v3 certification from the Canada Green Building Council. The renewal of UAP’s headquarters will allow for better synergy between its various teams, while integrating the building seamlessly with the surrounding neighbourhood and reducing the site’s carbon footprint drastically.
By conserving and transforming the building’s original volume, the new headquarters houses 260 employees in a bright, open space that offers innovative and collaborative workspaces, as well as areas for concentration or solo work. Outside, the main facade unfolds like the bodywork of an automobile, carefully cut and finely articulated. A skylight going from one end of the building to the other exposes its interior activities and bathes the project’s heart of a central atrium in light for employees’ well-being.
Compared to a similar structure, the building’s overall energy consumption has been reduced by 34% via environmentally positive choices in lighting, heating, cooling and water retention systems. The surrounding grounds and parking lot are redesigned and regreened to create a more inviting site from street level and reduce the property’s heat island effects while giving employees exterior rest areas and better access to public transportation.
This mandate showcases how Lemay Energy professionals work in tandem with clients to offer integrated energy performance solutions, helping them accelerate the deployment of carbon neutral projects with the help of advanced, curated digital tools.
