Woodstock, Georgia-based Primus announced on May 16 that its United States Cold Storage project in Covington, Tennessee, has achieved LEED Gold status. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system was developed by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) to encourage sustainability-focused design and construction practices. It is considered the international standard for environmentally sound buildings.
“This is a big moment for us,” said Primus President Matthew Hirsch. “For our first LEED project to achieve gold certification is an incredible honor.”
The achievement came after working closely with the International Association for Cold Storage Construction (IACSC) and USGBC to create a scoring system that reflected the unique engineering components of cold storage facilities. The baseline now includes specific parameters for refrigeration and indoor air quality that allow cold storage warehouses to earn points in the Energy & Atmosphere category.
“Working with USGBC to update their scoring system was very gratifying,” said Hirsch. “They are highly respected in the industry and very serious about their mission. It has opened the door for future projects to achieve LEED certification. We currently have two projects registered and expect them to achieve a minimum of LEED Silver.”
The original goal on the Covington facility was LEED Silver. Thanks to the diligent efforts of Primus, United States Cold Storage and Unilever (Unilever operates the ice cream plant attached to the cold storage facility), the team achieved LEED Gold.
