Living Building Challenge Store Certification
PCC Markets | Western Washington
Project Overview
Harris Group served as the Engineer of Record for six PCC Markets grocery stores in Western Washington, achieving groundbreaking ILFI Living Building Challenge (LBC) certification.
Key Highlights
LBC Certification: The first grocery stores in the world to earn ILFI’s Living Building Challenge certification, setting a new industry standard for sustainability and environmental responsibility.
Innovative Design: Developed compliant HVAC and plumbing systems that minimized red-list materials while exceeding industry energy efficiency standards.
Material Vetting & Certification: Expertly navigated the challenging vetting process for materials petal certification, establishing strong manufacturer relationships and pioneering solutions for sustainable building materials.
State-of-the-Art HVAC Systems: Designed water source heat pumps integrated with refrigeration waste heat, incorporating energy recovery systems to reduce exhaust emissions by up to 30%.
Low-Red-List Equipment: Selected equipment, including cooling towers with less than 7% PVC, thanks to close collaboration with manufacturers like Evapco, which provided sustainable options such as stainless steel components.
Efficient Hot Water System: Designed a direct-mounted double-wall heat exchanger linked to refrigeration systems, providing all hot water needs and significantly reducing reliance on natural gas-powered tankless heaters.
Collaborative Vetting Process: Worked closely with ILFI, Skanska reviewers, and multiple manufacturers via shared digital platforms to ensure all materials met LBC standards prior to certification approval.
This project demonstrated Harris Group’s leadership in sustainable, high-performance building design, paving the way for future environmentally conscientious development in the commercial sector.
