Lundberg Family Farms, a manufacturer of organic rice and rice products has set up its new corporate office in California. The new office building has been designed by giving utmost importance to energy efficiency and environment friendly aspects.
The CEO of Lundberg stressed on their commitment towards building sustainable and environment friendly farming practices and pointed out that this was the first time that all their offices were housed under one roof.
The new building is built on a steel-framed construction by using recycled steel. For the construction of exteriors, stucco and reclaimed wood from old barns and shops and metal have been used. For constructing the tables and benches in conference rooms etc they have used wood from Founder, their original rice dryer. Their office spans 27,658 sq.ft and is illuminated by natural light. The work environment is open and designed to promote teamwork and collaboration among employees. The office is located near the family farm where a major chunk of the organic rice and rice products are processed. The environment factors that have been taken care in the design of the building include heating carried out through radiant heat transmitted through nearly 6 mi. of tubes running under the floor, cooling is carried out using heat exchangers and chilled water, premium parking for car/van pools, low-emission bicycles and vehicles in order to promote alternative transportation options, landscaping done keeping in mind protection and restoration of the habitat and use of innovative wastewater management technologies. They have even implemented a system for storm water management. Use of water is also considerably reduced ensuring decrease in total water consumption annually.
Other noteworthy features of the building are the Visitors Center, which includes a story wall which is decked with 40 pictures that narrate the story of the company from establishment to current stages. The solar energy generated in their farms factor for 20% of the power for its operations and buys renewable energy credits for the rest of the energy needs.
Source: http://www.lundberg.com/