October 9, 2007

The 390-square-metre ‘green’ cheese factory will feature solar panels, a geothermal heating and cooling system, a temperature-stable subterranean cheese-aging cave, and water-cooled refrigeration systems for above-ground cold storage.

General Contracting

Petra Cooper’s new cheese factory goes green, LEED style

Contractor took LEED courses so he could bid job

PETER KENTER

correspondent

PICTON

When cheese entrepreneur Petra Cooper demands purity, she gets it.

Not only does she intend to put Ontario on the culinary map with an expanding line of sheep and goat milk artisan cheeses, her new 390-square-metre facility will aim for LEED Platinum certification.

Located in Picton, Ont., the Fifth Town Artisan Cheese Company plant will feature solar panels, a geothermal heating and cooling system, a temperature-stable subterranean cheese-aging cave, and water-cooled refrigeration systems for above-ground cold storage.

The project will use locally-sourced or reclaimed building materials and practice ecologically-sound waste management protocols.

Cooper chose K Knudsen Construction of Belleville, Ont. to handle the project.

“For LEED consideration, 13 points out of a possible 69 are related to construction site management — the difference between certification and non-certification — so it’s important to have a contractor who is committed to executing the project in a way that can ensure the client will achieve all 13 points,” says Cooper.

“We were looking for a contractor with commercial construction experience and ideally, someone who had constructed food manufacturing or food-related buildings before.

“In the cheese business, you can’t get your operating license unless the required outcomes are met.”

At the time of the qualifying interviews, build company owner Peter Knudsen didn’t have prior LEED experience, but took the initiative to familiarize himself with the process.

“I took several LEED courses between the time I was told that they wanted me to bid, and the time I submitted the actual bid,” says Knudsen.

“I had actual LEED credentials to submit with the bid.”

In addition, Cooper identified Knudsen as a detail-oriented contractor who could handle the administrative load required for certification, documenting each step of the construction process to present to the Canadian Green Building Council.

“Essentially, building a LEED building is a learning experience for client, architect and contractor,” says Cooper.

“While many architects, designers and contractors may have taken the LEED course and achieved certification, very few have actually been involved in a LEED project and the devil is in the details.”

One of the requirements of a LEED Platinum rating is a mitigation of disturbances of the environment surrounding the construction site.

The cheese factory sits on eight hectares of land featuring a pond and stream, which serve as a natural habitat for variety of birds, a beaver and deer.

Knudsen must keep construction limited to the parameters of a silt fence and divert 50 to 75 per cent of waste material to on-site recycling bins.

“I believe that the time has come where those who will be awarded construction contracts in the near future had better demonstrate that they care about environmental stewardship, invest in their own professional development regarding LEED and take advantage of the new materials and energy technologies that are available,” says Cooper.

“They also have to be prepared to do the administrative work, tracking and filing required to help the client achieve certification.”

Construction of the facility is due to be completed at the end of the year, with locally-produced cheese expected for sale on-site by January.

Print | Email | Comment