World’s First Winery to Earn LEED Silver for Entire Facility
The property, located in Garzón, Uruguay, features substantial energy capacity from wind and photovoltaic systems, as well as a green roof.
Bodega Garzón, a boutique winery in Garzón, Uruguay, has become the first sustainable winery outside North America to be awarded the LEED Silver certification and the first such facility to be LEED Silver certified in its entirety—including process, hospitality, offices, cellar and wine club.
The winery encompasses 500 acres of vineyards, a production facility, tasting room, retail space, wine club and 120-seat restaurant led by Argentine celebrity chef Francis Mallmann. It is also home to an 18-hole golf club designed by Masters and U.S. Open champion Angel Cabrera. Envisioned by Argentine architecture firm Bórmida & Yanzón, the 205,000-square-foot winery features sustainable design developed by Bodega Garzón’s director of construction, architect Carlos Hartmann.
Green power
Throughout the LEED-certification process, the winery reportedly received the highest possible scores in water efficiency and design innovation. The facility uses 100 percent non-potable water for irrigation and implemented original wastewater technologies. Built into hills and over natural terraces, Bodega Garzón uses a green roof with native species—the largest in Latin America—rainwater harvesting and reuse, and high-efficiency HVAC with heat recovery for energy efficiency.
“Since it is built atop a rocky outcrop, the winery spends 40 percent less energy than other similar facilities thanks to the efficiency of the premises,” Bodega Garzón’s Managing Director, Christian Wylie, told Commercial Property Executive. “And in situ production of wind and photovoltaic energy generates up to 40 percent of all energy needs.”
Less than 20 miles from the Atlantic coast and roughly 100 miles east of Montevideo, Bodega Garzón was named 2018’s New World Winery of the Year by Wine Enthusiast Magazine. At the upcoming international exhibition Vinexpo Bordeaux 2019, Bodega Garzón will take part in a symposium on the effects of climate change on the wine and spirits industries.
Growing trend
Sustainability features are becoming more and more common in a wider range of property types. A 37,000-square-foot, two-story facility in the Chicago suburb of Plainfield has just become the nation’s first recreation center to reach PHIUS+ Source Zero certification. The Prairie Activity and Recreation Center comprises a preschool with four classrooms, a 4,000-square-foot fitness studio and a 1,600-square-foot multipurpose room.
With a 28,600-square-foot solar panel array, the air-tight building can maintain a consistent indoor temperature every day, regardless of the season. On an annual basis, it can generate as much or more energy than it uses.
