MINNEAPOLIS—General Mills’ new customer service facility in Fort Wayne, Ind., has earned LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. The recently opened facility is the largest warehouse and distribution center project in North America to achieve LEED Gold certification.
“We take great pride in the incredible number of environmentally sustainable design elements and construction practices that have gone into this building,” said Mike Nordstrom, vice president of global workplace solutions, General Mills. “We built this facility with LEED Gold certification as our goal. We are pleased to add the Fort Wayne customer service facility to our growing number of LEED certified buildings.”
The building includes several efficiency technologies and environmentally friendly design elements, including:
• A white roof and 100 percent concrete paving that reflects sunlight;
• Low-flow plumbing fixtures;
• Retention ponds that hold storm water from the roof and paved areas for landscaping irrigation;
• Energy-efficient light fixtures, occupant sensors, high efficient HVAC systems, roof mounted up-blast exhaust fans and wall louvers; and
• Ventilation that exceeds fresh air requirements by 30 percent.
In addition to these technologies, the project included environmentally-conscious construction operations, whereby waste and materials were recycled and harvested within 500 miles of the site, respectively.
The facility also will use a centralized transportation system, which allows General Mills to deliver products in the most efficient route possible.
The building was constructed by New York-based Rockefeller Group Development Corporation.