Sustainability. Eco-friendly. Low carbon footprint. These are words that mean a lot to us here at North Gate. From the tasting room to the wine production to the vineyard, we strive to be the most environmentally friendly winery on the planet.
Purcellville, VA (PRWEB) November 14, 2013
North Gate Vineyard announced today that it has been awarded LEED Gold Certification established by the U.S. Green Building Council. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the preeminent building rating program that is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.
“It has been a long but rewarding process,” said owners Mark and Vicki Fedor. “When we set out to build our new tasting room and wine production facility, being eco-friendly and environmentally sustainable was extremely important to us. LEED certification was an excellent way to showcase the high-level of commitment we have to being green.”
North Gate Vineyard used an all-local team to complete the project. The architect on the project was Tom O’Neil of O’Neil Architects in Leesburg, VA. Diana O’Neil was the LEED project manager. Ken Wilson of Brickstone Homes in Leesburg, VA was the builder and General Contractor. The LEED commissioning agent was Gretchen Coleman of Gretchen Coleman Commissioning Group in Roanoke, VA. “To achieve the level of LEED certification that we were awarded takes a complete team effort and this team was committed to finding the best environmentally friendly products and solutions from start to finish”, said Mark and Vicki.
Buildings are certified based on achieving superior performance in the areas of energy efficiency, sustainable site development, water efficiency, construction waste management, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality.
North Gate Vineyard is the first winery in Loudoun County to achieve LEED certification and the second in all of Virginia to earn this distinction. The award was granted for the entire project consisting of the winery, production facility and tasting room which totals a combined 5656 square feet on 26 acres in Purcellville, VA.
North Gate Vineyard’s state-of-the-art facilities were designed for the energy efficient production of wines. LEED certification was based on a number of green design and construction features that positively impact the project itself and the broader community. These features include:
- A solar array on the south facing roof that produces 22kw of electricity comprised of 96 photo voltaic panels. The building is 100% solar powered and uses net metering to sell the excess electricity back to the grid for credits. A state-of-the-art solar panel monitor is on display in the tasting room for the energy curious.
- Single story, 2×8 advanced framing techniques, which involves aligning the roof framing and wall framing, reducing the amount framing material required and increasing the amount of wall space available for insulation.
- Building dimensions based on common material sizes to minimize material waste.
- A standing seam metal roof with a highly reflective surface to reduce heat gain. The roofing has a very long life cycle and is made of steel, an easy to recycle material.
- Local, reclaimed, recycled, and sustainable building materials and decor, including the reclaimed wood tables, bar, and mantle; the bar top made with recycled wine and beer bottles; bamboo flooring; and the fireplace made with stone from the Shenandoah vein.
- High efficiency heat pumps for the HVAC systems and energy recovery ventilators (ERV’s) for tempering fresh air being brought into the building while exhausting stale air to minimize energy loss.
- CO2 monitors in both the winery (for fermentation) and tasting room for maintaining optimum indoor air quality
- Low VOC building materials, including paints, sealants, and adhesives to increase indoor air quality.
- Plenty of natural daylight and operable windows and doors to increase worker and patron comfort and happiness and decrease energy use.
- Extensive use of LED lighting in tasting room and high efficiency fluorescent light in wine production room to reduce energy consumption.
- Sustainable, non-toxic cleaning supplies.
- Sustainable landscaping using native plants, designed by the Loudoun Master Gardeners.
- A smoke free environment, inside and out, to insure good air quality.
- A highly insulated building envelope with R39 walls and R51 in the ceiling and attic spaces, a fully insulated floor slab, and a continuous exterior insulated wall sheathing system to create a thermal break in the wall system, reducing the energy transfer through the wall studs.
- Motion sensor controls for lighting in the restrooms and office space to reduce energy consumption.
- High efficiency electric hand dryers in restrooms to reduce paper waste.
- Motion sensor faucets and high efficiency toilets to reduce water consumption.
- Over 85% of the construction waste was diverted from the local landfill and recycled.
The Washington, D.C. based U.S. Green Building Council is committed to a prosperous and sustainable future for our nation through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. “The green building movement offers an unprecedented opportunity to respond to the most important challenges of our time, including global climate change, dependence on non-sustainable and expensive sources of energy and threats to human health,” said Rick Fedrizzi, President , CEO & Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council. “The work of innovative building projects such as North Gate Vineyard is a fundamental driving force in this movement.”
“Sustainability. Eco-friendly. Preserving the environment. Low carbon footprint. These are words that mean a lot to us here at North Gate. It is easy to talk about these things, it is not so easy to take real action and incorporate it into your daily business operations. From the tasting room to the wine production to the vineyard, we strive to be the most environmentally friendly winery on the planet.” – Mark and Vicki Fedor, Owners, North Gate Vineyard