Atlanta Community Food Bank

Southface conducted a charrette focused on sustainable design with Atlanta Community Food Bank and its new building design team to help set environmental goals and to discuss the most effective strategies with which to achieve those goals. Southface also served as the Food Bank’s LEED Administrator, facilitating the LEED certification process. As part of this process, Southface worked to create an energy model for the Food Bank’s planned building to effectively demonstrate the energy savings it could expect.

Environmental Strategies Implemented

Site:

• Electric car charging stations, bicycle storage, showers, preferred parking for carpools and proximity to bus lines encourage alternative transportation.

• Reflective concrete hardscapes reduce the heat island effect.

• A reflective roof also reduces the heat island effect and save energy.

Water Efficiency:

• Waterless urinals and low-flow faucets result in indoor water savings of 24 percent.

• Landscaping with native plants eliminated the need for permanent irrigation.

Energy Efficiency:

• Energy savings of 25 percent were demonstrated in the energy model.

Materials:

• 79 percent of construction waste was recycled.

• 6 percent of building materials were reused.

• 18 percent of building materials included recycled content.

• 50 percent of building materials were regionally manufactured.

Indoor Environmental Quality:

• CO₂ monitoring and demand-controlled ventilation ensure excellent indoor air quality.

• A construction indoor-air-quality management plan reduced air contaminants during construction.

• Low-emitting finish materials kept indoor air contaminants to a minimum.

 

The biggest advantage to the Food Bank of constructing a LEED Silver building is that it will ensure our Board, staff, volunteers, agency partners and visitors will be continually challenged to remain conscious of the importance of environmental stewardship.

Our mission, to fight hunger by educating, engaging and empowering people within our community, includes the key strategy of saving otherwise nutritious food from landfills and reusing it to feed hungry people. A direct extension of this strategy is our wider focus on recycling and the environment, as well as taking measures to be as efficient as possible in our consumption of energy and water. Together with our LEED Silver certification, these strategies resonate well with Foodbank funders, as does the LEED goal, which is we share, of providing a healthy workplace and volunteer environment.

—

Bill Bolling

Founder and Executive Director

The Atlanta Community Food Bank