Gray Customer Whirlpool Awarded LEED® Gold Certification for New TN Facility

Whirlpool Corporation was recently recognized for achieving LEED® Gold certification for its new manufacturing facility in Cleveland, Tenn. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) awarded Whirlpool for its energy efficient and technologically advanced manufacturing facility calling it “a green work of art.”

The 1,550,283 s.f. facility manufactures premium cooking appliances consisting of ranges, cooktops and wall ovens. The facility also includes a testing lab and distribution center.

Gray provided design-build services for the facility and implemented the following sustainable features and practices:

• • Minimized Heat Island Effects — Highly reflective roofing materials were installed to reduce heat island effects and increase the efficiency of the HVAC systems. High solar reflective index (SRI) concrete pavement was also installed to minimize the heat island effect and eliminate the generation of greenhouse gases and pollution.

• • FSC Certified Wood — Wood used in the construction of the Whirlpool facility was a level of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified wood. The FSC standard incorporates many criteria that contribute to long-term health and integrity of forest ecosystems, which include sustainable timber harvesting, preserving wildlife habitat and biodiversity, maintaining soil and water quality.

• • Use of Low-VOC Materials — Low-volatile organic compound (VOC) materials, paints and caulks were used. Off-gassing in the interior environment was significantly decreased and the building surpassed the requirements for pre-occupancy indoor air quality testing.

• • Low-Flow Plumbing — To reduce the amount of water the Whirlpool project would use, Gray installed ultra-low-flow plumbing fixtures. The water usage is more than 40 percent less than a regular base line building and no potable water is used for irrigation due to the process of rainwater reuse, which helps to conserve local and regional potable water resources.

• • Construction Material Recycling — Construction waste was carefully managed to recycle or reuse materials as much as possible; more than 20 percent of the materials used to construct the building were recycled.

Gray, formerly Gray Construction, is a nationally ranked engineering, architecture and construction firm with over 53 years of experience in manufacturing, automotive, food and beverage, distribution, hospitality and retail facility construction. Currently, Gray has several large projects that are underway or recently completed including: a Michelin Earthmover tire manufacturing plant in Starr, S.C.; a Caterpillar Inc. manufacturing facility in Winston-Salem, N.C.; a Caterpillar Inc. manufacturing facility near Athens, Ga.; a Siemens gas turbine plant in Charlotte, N.C.; a Roxul insulation manufacturing facility in Byhalia, Miss.; a Drax Biomass wood pellet storage and shipping facility in Port Allen, La.; and multiple projects for Austal USA in Mobile, Ala.

For more information on manufacturing plant construction, please contact Phil Seale, Senior Vice President, Manufacturing Market at pseale@gray.com.