Completed in February 2013, Fresh Express, a ready-cut food processing facility located in the Chicago suburb of Streamwood, was recently awarded LEED Silver certification.
Known for prepackaged lettuce and mixed salads, Fresh Express’s processes require a substantial amount of power and building space. Much of the sustainability effort focused on building re-use and energy-efficiency strategies, which created first cost and long-term operational cost savings for the client. A lot of the existing building and its systems were reused and retrofitted to current standards, and the new building additions and new systems incorporated many new technologies.
The building’s 2,200 ton ammonia-based refrigeration plant was a primary focus point in our energy efficiency design effort, the plant incorporated state-of-the-art compressors along with other new or customized equipment to meet the client’s energy efficiency goals and reliability and serviceability needs.
The team incorporated other environmental aspects into the industrial building, including:
- construction activity pollution prevention;
- parking capacity for alternative transportation;
- water-efficient landscaping;
- enhanced refrigerant management;
- storage and collection and recyclables;
- reusing various elements of the previous building;
- construction waste management and
- low volatile organic compound emitting adhesives, sealants, paints and coatings.
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