HVAC Company Earns LEED Gold

MINNEAPOLIS — Daikin and McQuay announced yesterday that it has earned LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for its Applied Development Center located at the company’s headquarters in Plymouth, Minn.  

The 49,000-square-foot research center is the world’s most advanced facility for HVAC research and development, according to McQuay. The Daikin McQuay Applied Development Center was designed and built by Mortenson Construction, Hammel, Green and Abrahamson Architects and Engineers, Hunt Electric and Eaton Mechanical.

Working toward LEED certification of the facility was fundamental to McQuay’s objectives, said Daikin McQuay ADC head Hiromune Matsuoka.

“It was important for Daikin and McQuay to achieve LEED Gold for the ADC because it is part of who we are as a company,” he said. “We have a long history of being good environmental stewards and we have been recognized as one of the 100 most sustainable corporations for three years in a row by Corporate Knights, Inc.”

“We are proud that we can demonstrate the stewardship that we believe in and be a leader within the HVAC industry,” he added.

According to McQuay, process loads produce over 90 percent of the facility’s energy, and 75 percent of that energy is diverted back in to the building’s system.

“As an industry leader, it is our responsibility to develop the most energy-efficient technologies on the market,” said Ron Hanlon, chief operating officer for McQuay Americas. “Technologies like the Daikin McQuay Magnitude magnetic bearing centrifugal chiller can help our customers meet their own energy needs and qualify for LEED ratings in the process,” he said.

The facility’s other environmentally friendly features include water-efficient landscaping, the installation of interior surfaces made from recycled content and the use of low-emitting sealants and locally purchased materials.