HOUSTON - Hunton Distribution, a Hunton Group company, announced its new 117,000-square-foot headquarters and distribution center achieved LEED Silver certification. The LEED Green Building Rating System™ is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high-performance green buildings. According to Hunton, the new building is not only the first LEED New Construction (NC) Distribution Center in Houston, but it is also the first LEED NC building constructed within the Trane organization.

Hunton Distribution contracted GRA-Gulf Coast Construction LLC to act as the design-build general contractor; TNRG Designs LP to head the planning and design; C-AIRS Mechanical for all mechanical work; and Reihl Engineering to serve as LEED consultant and commissioning agent for the two-year project, which totaled $6 million.

Since Hunton Distribution specializes in air conditioning products, the company chose to incorporate its high-efficiency units in its new facility. Hunton Distribution met stringent LEED credit qualifications in the categories of Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality, and Innovation & Design.

“As a leader in the HVAC industry, we thought we should take the lead in the construction of LEED facilities and demonstrate that it is possible to build an energy-conscious facility that is not cost prohibitive,” said Richard Hunton Jr., president and COO of The Hunton Group.

Publication date: 10/18/2010