by Shane Henson — February 25, 2013—Footwear designer SKECHERS USA Inc. announced that its North American distribution center in Rancho Belago, California has earned LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is an international, voluntary program that provides third-party verification of green buildings.
Designed and built by developer Highland Fairview to the highest environmental standards, the 1.82 million-square-foot SKECHERS facility is the largest LEED-certified building in the United States to have received this honor, says the company. With the capacity to annually ship 100 million pairs of shoes, this state-of-the-art automated facility is expected to allow the company to efficiently grow its business with reduced impact to the environment.
LEED certification for commercial buildings involves a scorecard that evaluates several categories: sustainability, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation. The SKECHERS distribution center earned 41 points from this scorecard to secure LEED Gold certification. According to the company, key features include:
- Approximately 280,000 square feet of solar power generation systems on the roof;
- Lighting that operates as needed, regulated by motion sensors and powered in part by solar panels;
- A warehouse ventilation system that utilizes outside air drawn through louvers facing the prevailing winds, plus energy-efficient heating and cooling systems;
- A solar reflective white “cool roof” and light-colored on-site pavement to help reduce heat and global warming;
- Water efficient and drought tolerant landscaping that reduces irrigation by 50 percent;
- A Water Pollution Prevention Program that captures and treats storm water runoff from 90 percent of annual rainfall;
- Low-emitting paints, coatings, glues, and sealants that comply with LEED standards were used during construction;
- Recycled and regional building materials were sourced within 500 miles of the construction site. The majority of on-site construction waste materials were recycled as well.
