Delivering performance and sustainability all at once

By CertainTeed. 

This LEED-certified warehouse project in Illinois is a great example of fireproofing in an environmentally aware way.  

Ecolab is a company that produces world-class solutions to improve food safety, raise environmental cleanliness and find more efficient water and energy use for millions of people across over 100 countries. The company had commissioned the building of a new warehouse in Illinois, USA, designed by Ware Malcomb and Jacob & Hefner Associates, Inc. Their goal on this project was to become LEED ® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified. This is a green building rating system used around the world and the last step to this was finding the right fireproofing system. That’s when GCP Specialty Building Materials came into the picture with their Monokote® fireproofing product. 

The project 

In May of 2023, IDI Logistics, a leading developer and manager of logistics real estate in the U.S. and Peak Construction Corporation, a full-service design-build general contractor, broke ground on a new warehouse facility in Joliet, Illinois. The 677,000 square foot building project was laser-focused on reducing their carbon footprint and achieving specific sustainability goals. 

IDI Logistics is a pioneer in environmentally sustainable and affordable “eco-warehouse” development. As a member of the U.S. Green Building Council, the developer participates in the LEED® program. In 2023, IDI was recognized as Gold Level Green Lease Leader by the Institute for Market Transformation (IMT) and the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Better Buildings Alliance.  

Leading the way on environmental, social and governance (ESG) buildings across North America, averaging the development of 5 million square feet of buildings per year, IDI sought key partners to uplevel the Illinois warehouse to be a LEED-certified building. In addition, their approach was to look at sustainability beyond just this certification by reducing their general carbon footprint.  

Challenge 

IDI secured Ecolab as the tenant of the warehouse, a global sustainability leader offering water, hygiene and infection prevention solutions and services that protect people and the resources vital to life. With the new tenant, the design team had to promptly transition from building a standard warehouse to a lab-like facility. 

A primary need was to upgrade the fireproofing for the storage of Ecolab’s flammable items. This critical requirement needed to be installed in a tight-time frame, all while meeting LEED specifications. 

Solution: Fireproofing that contributes to LEED  

IDI Logistics selected GCP’s MONOKOTE® Fireproofing to provide the fire protection needed for Ecolab’s materials, as it is both high-performing and met the LEED requirements. 

All MONOKOTE® Fireproofing materials have Type III environmental product declarations (EPD). According to a report developed by the UN Environment Program, the construction industry is by far the largest emitter of greenhouse gasses, accounting for 37% of global emissions. This urgent need has led architects, building owners and specifiers to recognize the need of EPDS as a tool to bring down the embodied carbon of their buildings. 

“We like MONOKOTE as a fireproofing solution due to its EPDs," said IDI Logistics Chicago Vice President of Development Steve Golumbeck. “For us it was a win-win. MONOKOTE® was the most economical, met all fireproofing criteria and it had a better carbon footprint.” 

MONOKOTE® Fireproofing products also meet the needs of projects targeting LEED V4 or Living Building Challenge certification and with a carbon footprint that is less than half that of the industry average for similar products. All information related to the sustainability of MONOKOTE® Fireproofing products has been investigated and verified by third parties.  

“When IDI was evaluating fireproofing solutions, we didn't know if we were the least expensive option for the project,” said GCP Fire Protection Technical Services Manager John Dalton, P.E. “Competitive bids are always pretty close, but we credit Steve and IDI for understanding the value of the embodied carbon savings in MONOKOTE®. Instead of sustainability being an exercise in checking boxes, to their credit this developer went a step further and made embodied carbon a conscious choice. It’s critical that we look beyond simply compiling documentation and start using EPDs as a tool to allow us to reduce our carbon footprint in the building industry.” 

Result 

The IDI Logistics & Peak Construction warehouse project in Illinois is expected to be completed by mid Q2 2024. The use of MONOKOTE® Fireproofing checked all the boxes: 

• Reduced carbon footprint and GWP 
• Expedited project timeline 
• Proven high-performance solution 
• Met or exceeded LEED standards 

In addition, the solution assisted the team with their objective of going beyond required LEED documentation and reducing the overall carbon footprint. 

Original article source: CertainTeed