Hannaford Earns LEED Platinum
Hannaford Supermarkets has broken new ground with the opening of its 49,000-sq.-ft. store in Augusta, Maine. It is the first grocery store in the nation to achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum certification from the U. S. Green Building Council. Platinum is the highest level of LEED certification offered.
Hannaford, based in Scarborough, Maine, operates 169 supermarkets and is owned by Delhaize Group of Brussels, Belgium. The chain participated in the USGBC’s Retail Pilot Program to identify best practices in retail building design and to develop new building standards for the retail sector. Fore Solutions, Portland, Maine, helped Hannaford develop the store, serving as the green building and LEED consultant.
The new Hannaford store is expected to use nearly 50% less energy than a typical supermarket of comparable size and amenities as a result of high-performance refrigeration, lighting and HVAC systems. Renewable energy sources help light, warm and cool the site. A 41-kilowatt solar array provides on-site power, and water from two geothermal wells—750 ft. below ground—helps regulate the building’s temperature.
The supermarket has a green roof, a layered system of soil and drought-resistant plants that cover some 7,000 sq. ft. and is designed to reduce water runoff and help insulate the store. The rest of the surface is covered with a light-colored, highly reflective membrane.
The interior features numerous energy-saving elements. The use of doors on nearly all the freezer and refrigerated cases is expected to save one-third the energy of cases without doors while providing a comfortable in-store temperature for shoppers. Also, most of the cold cases are lit with LEDs that are controlled by motion sensors, which helps save energy.
Other eco-friendly components include:
Special signage and an educational display in the foyer call attention to the store’s environmental message. Hannaford also offers a self-guided tour for customers, plus formal guided tours for schools and industry partners.
The store is located on a lot that formerly housed a high school. Ninety-six percent of the former building was recycled or reused as part of the supermarket’s construction, and more than 99% of the building’s contents, from desks to fixtures, were reused or recycled.