Northern Illinois Food Bank’s new 147,000-square-foot West Suburban Center has been awarded LEED-NC Gold certification, established by the U.S. Green Building Council. Additionally, the building and Northern Illinois Food Bank have been named the recipients of a prestigious local award by the Illinois Chapter of the USGBC.
The announcement comes approximately six months after Ryan Companies completed the design-assist project, and Northern Illinois Food Bank moved into and became fully operational in the new facility at 273 Dearborn Court, Geneva. Ryan completed the construction of the new facility in August 2011. The new building is essentially double the size of its former headquarters, which was located in St. Charles.
In working toward LEED-NC Gold certification, Northern Illinois Food Bank and its design and construction team incorporated a variety of sustainable and energy-saving elements into the new building, including a white roof, air-cooled heat pumps, motion-controlled lighting, high-performance glass, an energy-efficient envelope and recycled and re-used products, among other things. Bike racks as well as preferred parking for electric and hybrid cars and carpooling encourage alternative transportation.
The most significant energy saving feature of the building utilizes a heat recovery operation as part of its HVAC system. The operation takes energy generated by an expansive freezer cooler system and uses it to heat the warehouse area. Additionally, heat also is recovered and used as part of a frost heave prevention system, heating the ground underneath the freezer coolers to prevent expansion problems that normally would occur when the ground is frozen.
The new refrigerated food warehouse and distribution facility constructed by Ryan features 47,000 square feet of office space, 60,000 square feet of dry storage, 20,000 square feet of freezer/cooler space and 20,000 square feet of volunteer circulation area. The space includes both a commercial and production kitchen. Given the design of the building, including 32-foot clear ceiling heights in the storage areas, Northern Illinois Food Bank has effectively doubled its size.
In addition to earning the LEED-NC Gold certification, the building also has been selected as one of the 2012 U.S. Green Building Council – Illinois Chapter’s Emerald Award winners. Northern Illinois Food Bank won the Board of Directors Award for their leadership and impact on sustainable building in Illinois.
The Emerald Awards program recognizes outstanding individuals, organizations and projects from across Illinois that are advancing both buildings and communities that are sustainable, prosperous and healthy. The USGBC – Illinois Chapter received more than 40 nominations in five separate categories.
Northern Illinois Food Bank will receive its award at the Illinois Chapter’s 10th Anniversary Annual Fundraiser on May 10.
Joining Steve Golumbeck on the Ryan team were Jim Herbst, division manager; Jessica Hladik, project manager; and Jason Cmelo, senior superintendent. Other members of the overall project team included Jeffrey Flemming, AIA, LEED-AP, NCARB, architect; Larson Engineering Inc., civil, structural and mechanical engineer; and Owner Services Group Inc., owner’s representative.
