A 50TH BIRTHDAY TO REMEMBER Bel-Con Design-Builders made sure ‘more than the tractors are green’ at Clow Farm Equipment
C Just like a tree, the tower will feed off its locally-available natural resources to drastically reduce the energy it needs to expend. It will devise passive strategies to induce comfort and use as well as control environmental impacts and scale back emissions. An unconventional, yet dialectical, process will passively cool units with solar fireplaces. The building implements passive strategies and provides natural and sustainable resources 24
Green Building & Sustainable Strategies
that reduce and control the amount of energy emitted. L’Arbre Blanc is the tallest folie in Montpellier’s architectural arsenal and is looking to become the city’s focal point; a landmark that serves as a lighthouse, or guiding star, at night, amid the regional urban skyline. It’s to be an exclusive outlook on the surrounding area, a gift to all the city’s residents and visitors.
low Farm Equipment celebrated its 50th anniversary in a big way thanks to a full-scale green makeover provided by Bel-Con Design-Builders. The Kingston-area company, founded by Oakley Clow, left no stone unturned, either, building a brand new store situated on Highway 15 just north of Highway 401, equipped with a full complement of sustainable features. “Oakley and his son Doug, were concerned about quality, fit and finish right from the start,” says Bel-Con president Tom Gunsinger. “ They’d seen a similar John Deere Dealership constructed by Rice Construction, the Butler Builder in St John New Brunswick. The Clow family Oakley, Shirley and Doug were all great to work with and a breath of fresh air with their commitment to constructing an efficient, comfortable, low maintenance building.” (In “industry terms,” the facility in New Brunswick is referred to as a ‘Butler building.’
It’s to be a starting point from where the vista branches out and your eyes can take it all in: the land’s silhouettes, the open water, the longing it creates for far-off lands and Montpellier’s rich historical heritage. Erected in a pivotal location for the city, at its core, The White Tree (L’Arbre Blanc) is the very symbol of the Mediterranean, the “midland sea” that has forever been a crossroads, a meeting point between Europe, Africa and Asia. WINTER 2015
WINTER 2015
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