APLIN MARTIN (formerly STUDIO INTERESKT INC.) has taken pride in being the trusted consultant for Longo Brothers Fruit Markets Inc. for over 15 years. When presented with the opportunity to oversee Longo's groundbreaking 58,000 sq. ft. Net Zero Initiative store in Stouffville, Ontario, we embraced the challenge without hesitation.

From the onset there were many hurdles to overcome. The team accelerated the evaluation and design process, adapting to a development timeline that had begun before the net zero discussion emerged. While there were already many examples of net zero buildings to refer to, this marked the first instance of a Canadian grocery store undertaking the Net Zero challenge.

Named as the prime consultant, APLIN MARTIN (formerly STUDIO INTERESKT INC.) spearheaded the transformation of Longo's prototypical design. Collaborating with a diverse panel of third-party specialists including contractors, resilience experts, energy specialists, environmental specialists, and more, we collectively redefined “Longo's store of the future.”

Close collaboration with this expert panel fueled the design process, driving our team to imagine innovative solutions for the unique challenges posed by the grocery store environment. Strategic planning expedited approvals, and increased oversight during construction ensured the project not only opened on schedule and met but exceeded the established targets.

The result? A store that stands as the embodiment of energy efficiency and resilience within Longo’s chain. While it may appear similar to other locations on the surface, beneath the exterior lies a web of innovative systems, and details that reduce the carbon footprint but also enable the store to feed energy back to the grid or operate off-grid as needed.