Designing harmony between structure and frozen landscapes isn't just our tagline - it's how we approach every project. Over the years, we've learned that working with extreme climates means respecting them, not fighting against them.
Working in cold climates for over a decade has taught us things you won't find in textbooks. Every project brings its own challenges - whether it's dealing with permafrost, designing for extreme temperature swings, or creating spaces that feel warm when it's -40 outside.
Homes in the north need to do more than look good - they've gotta keep you warm, manage moisture like a pro, and stand up to weather that'd make most buildings cry. We've designed everything from compact cabins to sprawling family homes, and honestly, the principles stay the same: thermal efficiency, proper ventilation, and making sure your windows are positioned to catch whatever sunlight you can get during those short winter days.
We'll walk through your lifestyle, how you actually use spaces (not how magazines say you should), and design something that works with the local climate instead of constantly battling it.
Commercial spaces in harsh climates are a whole different beast. You're dealing with higher traffic, longer operating hours, and clients who need the place to function year-round without breaking the bank on heating. We've done community centers, retail spaces, offices - places where people need to feel comfortable even when it's brutal outside.
Our approach focuses on durability and operational costs because what's the point of a beautiful building if it costs a fortune to maintain? We look at everything from loading dock positioning to snow load management.
Sustainability in cold climates isn't about following trends - it's about making smart choices that reduce environmental impact while keeping buildings livable. We integrate passive solar design where possible, specify materials that can handle freeze-thaw cycles, and design systems that don't waste energy fighting the cold.
There's no one-size-fits-all solution here. What works in coastal BC won't work in Yukon. We assess each site individually and recommend solutions that actually make sense for your location and budget.
Sometimes you don't need a full design - you just need someone who's been through the wringer with cold climate construction to tell you if you're headed in the right direction. We've consulted on projects from Alaska to Scandinavia, helping teams avoid the expensive mistakes that come from underestimating what extreme cold can do.
This service covers everything from reviewing existing plans to troubleshooting problems in buildings that aren't performing as expected. We're pretty straightforward about what'll work and what won't.
Interior layouts in cold climate buildings need special consideration. You're spending more time indoors during long winters, so spaces need to be flexible and feel good even when you can't go outside for weeks. We plan for natural light penetration, create thermal comfort zones, and design layouts that maximize usable space.
We also think about practical stuff like where to put mudrooms (trust us, you need a good one), how to deal with all that winter gear, and creating spaces that don't feel claustrophobic when everyone's cooped up inside.
Building in sensitive northern environments means understanding your impact before you break ground. We conduct thorough assessments that look at everything from permafrost stability to wildlife corridors, water drainage patterns, and how your project might affect the local ecosystem.
This isn't just about checking boxes for permits (though we handle that too). It's about understanding the land you're building on so you can work with it. We've seen too many projects that ignored these factors and paid for it later - literally and figuratively.
Our assessments give you a realistic picture of what you're dealing with, potential challenges, and strategies to minimize disruption. Sometimes that means adjusting the building footprint, sometimes it means changing construction methods, but it always means being honest about what's feasible.
Every project starts with a conversation. Whether you're planning a single-family home or a commercial complex, we'd like to hear what you're thinking and see if we're a good fit to work together.
We meet (in person or virtually) to understand your vision, requirements, and constraints. This is where we figure out if what you're imagining is doable and start talking real numbers.
We assess the actual conditions you're working with - soil, climate data, solar orientation, access, utilities. This shapes everything that comes next.
We develop concepts, run them by you, refine based on feedback, and keep iterating until we've got something that clicks. This phase involves a lot of back-and-forth.
We prepare construction documents, help with permits, and stay involved during construction to make sure what gets built matches what we designed.