ARCO Design/Build, Inc. Project Earns LEED® Gold Certification

ATLANTA, Jan. 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- United Natural Foods was recently awarded LEED® Gold Certification for their newest distribution center in Lancaster, Texas. The distribution center was designed and constructed by Atlanta based ARCO Design/Build, Inc.

This Lancaster facility marks the 18th project ARCO Design/Build, Inc. has completed for UNFI, and the third LEED® Gold certified project. UNFI and ARCO Design/Build, Inc. have previously partnered to design and build distribution centers in York, PA (2008) and Ridgefield, WA (2007), which also received LEED® Gold Certification. UNFI is a company dedicated to sustainability and the environment; this is the company's fourth LEED® certified building.

"The Lancaster facility is another demonstration of UNFI's dedication to excellence and environmentally sustainable initiatives," said Mark Mummert, President of ARCO Design/Build. "Working with the detail oriented and highly skilled UNFI 'Green Team' is always enjoyable and this project was no exception."

Construction on this distribution center commenced in 2010 and was built with a focus on sustainability and energy conservation. ARCO Design/Build's scope of work included retrofitting the existing building to include 89,000 square feet of ammonia refrigerated space, ESFR fire protection for dry storage, double interlock preaction fire protection for cold storage, and 21,338 square feet of 2-story office space. Since completion of this project, ARCO Design/Build designed and constructed an additional 27,000 square feet of cooler/freezer space. Some key sustainability achievements for the first phase include:

• Over 97% of all office equipment and appliances in building are Energy Star rated
• 20% of all building materials made with recycled content
• 75% of all construction waste materials were properly recycled and/or reused
• Energy reduction and lighting power reduction of 30% and 18%, respectively
• Use of solar panels for two dock levelers
• Ammonia-based refrigeration system, more environmentally-friendly and energy-efficient than other refrigerants
• Water use reduction of over 35% using motion-activated sensors, flow controls and rainwater recovery cistern

LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is an internationally-recognized green building certification system. LEED® promotes sustainable building and development practices through a suite of rating systems that recognize projects that implement strategies for better environmental and health performance based on a rating system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). LEED® provides building owners and operators with a framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.

About ARCO Design/Build, Inc.

ARCO Design/Build, Inc. is a turn-key design/build firm widely recognized as an industry leader for various industrial project types, including but not limited to cold storage/food distribution and light industrial/warehouse/distribution. Turn-key service capabilities include project feasibility studies, site selection, complete design, logistical design, budgeting, up-front competitive lump sum pricing, value engineering, code consulting and full general contracting.

 

SOURCE ARCO Design/Build, Inc.