Testa Produce’s Chicago-area distribution center has earned the highest recognition from the U.S. Green Building Council with its recent achievement of the LEED Platinum certification, making it the first refrigerated food distribution facility in the country.
“We’re excited and gratified to have earned LEED Platinum certification. It’s no longer pending, it’s proven,” said Peter Testa, president of Testa Produce in a release. “We wanted to raise the bar on sustainable operations in our industry to the highest level and this certification confirms that we succeeded. Ours is the first refrigerated food distribution facility in the nation to be certified LEED Platinum.”
Testa Produce achieved its certification for the broad slate of “green”, energy-efficient features incorporated into its new facility. Among them are a 750kW wind turbine, a partially vegetated roof, solar panels that heat 100 percent of the building’s hot water, and a sophisticated water reclamation and treatment system. Combined, these and other features generate a 60% savings in energy consumption at the 91,000-square-foot distribution center.
“Testa Produce’s LEED certification demonstrates tremendous green building leadership,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO & founding chair, USGBC. “The urgency of USGBC’s mission has challenged the industry to move faster and reach farther than ever before, and Testa Produce serves as a prime example of just how much we can accomplish.”
The Testa distribution center, opened in the Chicago Stockyards Industrial Park in May 2011, was designed by Epstein architects. Summit Design + Build served as the construction manager and WBS Equities served as owner’s project consultant. Construction and permanent financing was provided by MB Bank. All are local Chicago-based concerns.