Belfast, Maine-based architecture and construction firm GO Logic has launched a research and development lab dedicated to developing wood-based building products for the high-performance construction market. Drawing on the firm's experience in Passive House design and construction, the GO Lab will identify critical gaps and opportunities in the construction marketplace and respond with next-generation building products that make use of Maine’s abundant forest resources, skilled workforce, and underutilized industrial infrastructure.
GO Lab is developing wood-based low density fiberboard (LDF) insulation technology that will harness Maine’s abundant natural resources and manufacturing capacity to meet the growing demand for high-performance building products. Commercially available in Europe, where it competes successfully with EPS foam, LDF is uneconomical to ship over long distances. GO Lab is partnering with local manufacturers to bring to market a domestic line of sustainable LDF as a cost-effective, high-performance alternative to fossil fuel-based insulation boards.
The lab is overseen by chemist and materials engineer Joshua Henry, a former professor and researcher at Bates College and the University of Maine, Dr. Henry is a former International Fellow of the National Science Foundation. Henry has worked with Go Logic in the past on several projects including a super-insulated slab foundation and a panelized Passive House construction system.