BENTON HARBOR, Mich.,
Aug. 17, 2017 /PRNewswire/
-- Whirlpool Corporation has been awarded a prestigious LEED®
Certification for two of its recent building projects, both located
in Benton Harbor, Mich.
Riverview Campus, the North American Region Headquarters, is now
LEED® Gold certified for Phase 3 of its development, and the Global
Headquarters is LEED® Silver certified for the South and East wings
of the building. LEED®, or Leadership in Energy & Environmental
Design, is a globally-recognized symbol of excellence in green
building. These are the 14th and 15th LEED-certified projects for
Whirlpool since 2009, with all projects now totalling more than 9.4
million sq. ft.
"Being awarded additional LEED® Certifications is validation of
our long-held belief that sustainability is not just important for
our business, but a responsibility on behalf of our consumers,"
said Lee Utke, Senior Director of
Global Corporate Real Estate. "Each project represents a
continuation of our commitment to designing, constructing, and/or
remodeling buildings using sustainable practices."
Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED® is
the foremost program for buildings that are designed, constructed,
maintained, and operated for improved environmental and human
health performance. In the Whirlpool projects, restroom faucets
with ultra low-flow valves and toilets were designed to reduce
water usage. When compared to the minimum baseline established by
the Energy Policy Act of 1992, the fixtures' performance results in
an estimated 40 percent water savings for both facilities,
approximately 1071-thousand gallons of water at the Riverview
Campus, and approximately 697-thousand gallons at the Global
Headquarters. Energy efficiency was also a priority, with the
Riverview Campus taking an integrated, whole campus approach. The
facility was designed around a central plant heating and cooling
system with a building management system, and incorporates
high-efficiency interior and exterior lighting.
A waste-reduction plan was enacted during the construction
process of all three phases for each building, resulting in
thousands of tons of waste diverted from landfills at the Riverview
Campus and Global Headquarters - 94 percent and 57 percent of total
construction waste, respectively. At the Riverview Campus,
materials containing recycled content constitute 31 percent of the
total cost of materials, which included drywall, carpet in the
office, steel columns, and concrete in the floor slabs and exterior
site.
Both buildings maximize open space, with more than 111-thousand
square feet of open space at the Riverview Campus, and nearly
284-thousand square feet of outside vegetated green space at the
Global Headquarters. Open space helps reduce heat island effect,
increases stormwater infiltration, and provides individuals on the
site with a connection to the outdoors, a feature proven to
increase employee productivity and satisfaction.
Both facilities promote alternative transportation methods to
reduce the organization's overall carbon footprint. Bike stations
and bus routes are available to employees, as well as several
electric car charging stations. Whirlpool Corporation has also set
aside several dozen priority parking spots for low-emitting and
fuel-efficient vehicles.
Whirlpool Corporation's commitment to sustainability continues
beyond the completion of construction. Whirlpool Corporation's
Riverview Campus will serve as an example of green building
practices and as a tool to inform and educate consumers and other
companies.
About Whirlpool Corporation
Whirlpool
Corporation (NYSE: WHR) is the number one major appliance
manufacturer in the world, with approximately $21 billion in annual sales, 93,000 employees and
70 manufacturing and technology research centers in 2016. The
company markets Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Maytag,
Consul, Brastemp, Amana, Bauknecht,
Jenn-Air, Indesit and other major brand names in
nearly every country throughout the world. Additional information
about the company can be found at WhirlpoolCorp.com, or find us on
Twitter at @WhirlpoolCorp.
About LEED® Certification
LEED certification ensures
electricity cost savings, lower carbon emissions and healthier
environments for the places we live, work, learn, play and worship.
LEED's global sustainability agenda is designed to achieve high
performance in key areas of human and environmental health, acting
on the triple bottom line - putting people, planet and profit
first.
LEED credits are awarded by third-party technical reviewers; are
applicable to all building types throughout a building's lifecycle;
and are developed through several rounds of public comments and in
collaboration with the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) board,
broader membership and staff.
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SOURCE Whirlpool Corporation