Taking the LEED
Walser Subaru embraces green business practices
Story and photos by Josh P. Roberts
Building green costs more. Sure there are payoffs in energy savings and other benefits over the long haul, but it can take upwards of twelve years to even reach the break-even point.
It wasn’t just a dollars-and-cents calculation, explains Walser Automotive Group director of marketing Alan Krutsch. Without factoring in an “it’s the right thing to do” attitude, a 20-30% premium on the upfront costs to create an environmentally friendly showroom and repair facility might not have made sense. Fortunately, when it came time for to build a new Subaru dealership in Burnsville, both Subaru’s green corporate image and their customers’ interest in environmental issues helped tip the balance.
“Our customers,” he adds, “will feel better about doing business with a company that has a sensitivity to environmental issues.”
The building, which opened just before Thanksgiving, is Minnesota’s first (and Subaru’s first American) LEED-certified automotive dealership To achieve this benchmark, which becomes official after this edition goes to press, Walser had to meet some strict criteria.
Simply green
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), a program of the nonprofit United States Green Building Council, promotes environmentally-responsible building practices by providing guidelines for building design, construction, and operation. Being LEED-certified means meeting standards set for sustainable site development, water and energy conservation, materials choice, and the quality of the indoor environment.
Much of building green is high-tech innovation that might elicit a “wow.” Yet much of it is simple common sense, Krutsch says.
Walser supported its application by citing the ways in which it fulfilled LEED’s standards, beginning with selecting a site that had already been developed, rather than virgin land (it used to be a small used car lot). The placement, orientation, and shape of the building were all designed to maximize the use of sunlight for interior lighting and heating. A reflective white vinyl roof requires less energy for air conditioning. Recycling bins are placed prominently in the showroom. The furniture, the hoists, and the car wash were recycled from previous projects, or purchased used and refurbished. The latter may not have earned any LEED points, notes shop general manager Jason Loechler, but they’re part of the puzzle — new resources that didn’t have to be produced, and existing ones kept out of the landfill.
Higher-hanging fruit
Designing a LEED-certified building requires harder choices, and occasional compromises. Walser’s showroom is multi-storied, with floor-to-ceiling windows on several sides—not necessarily the most efficient to heat and cool. “We have to balance business needs with environmental needs,” points out Don Schilling, Walser’s director of facilities. “What type of shopping experience do we need to create so we can stay in business and pay for the environmental improvements?”
Those improvements themselves should ultimately pay dividends, at least in the long run. The glass is specially glazed, and the ceiling is heavily insulated, to reduce heat loss. The concrete and tile floor acts as a heat sink. High-efficiency heating, air conditioning, ventilation, and lighting are run by sophisticated environmental controls — complete with timers, motion detectors, and carbon monoxide sensors — that divide the building into multiple zones.
Even plain old recycling reaps significant benefits. Walser burns spent motor oil to produce heat, rather than trucking it away to be disposed of. And water from the car wash’s rinse cycle is reused in the next wash cycle.
Healthier, too
Specs for Walser Subaru’s new building called for low-VOC (volatile organic compound) adhesives to be used. Core-filled decorative block walls eliminate the need for paint. And only ecologically friendly chemicals are used for cleaning.
Things are even greener on the outside. One side of the building was planted with drought-resistant native prairie grasses. A computerized weather system decides how much and when to irrigate the rest of the landscaping.
Most of the signage is lit by high-efficiency LEDs. Lights illuminating the lots have shields on them to reduce light pollution, are mounted closer to the ground so less light is required, and are controlled by light sensors so that they won’t go on unless they’re needed.
Just in case that’s not green enough, all the building’s electricity—purchased through Xcel—comes from wind turbines.
