A McDonald's restaurant in Riverside, Calif., was recently awarded LEED Gold certification, the first McDonald's west of the Mississippi, and only the fourth in the U.S., to receive the designation.
"This gold certification from LEED underscores our rigorous sustainability initiatives," said Candace Spiel, McDonald's owner/operator. "
This restaurant is owned and operated by Tom and Candace Spiel and stood as a McDonald's for 44 years. In 2010, the restaurant was completely rebuilt and reopened on October 14, 2010 containing a host of green features such as low-flow plumbing fixtures, recycled denim insulation inside the building, native drought-tolerant plants to reduce water consumption by landscape and solar panels.
The restaurant also includes an interactive touch-screen display for visitors to learn about the building's features, environmental sustainability, and how individuals can reduce their carbon footprint.
The University Avenue McDonald's has achieved the following water and energy-savings.
- The restaurant's solar array has generated electrical energy which saves approximately 8,950 kWH per month of utility usage, which is equal to the power usage of 13 average Riverside homes for one month. Increased efficiencies such as low-E glass windows and LED lighting helped realize an additional energy savings of 2,870 kWH per month, which is equal to an additional four Riverside homes.
- Saved approximately 250,000 gallons of water, which is equal to the water of eight 20 ft x 40 ft swimming pools.
- Due to permeable pavers, about 283,000 gallons of rainfall water is diverted from storm water system per year, which is equal to the water of nine 20 ft x 40 ft swimming pools.
"We are delighted that this local McDonald's has taken such significant measures to conserve our natural resources while educating residents about the importance of energy conservation," said Ron Loveridge, mayor of Riverside.
Beginning as manager trainee and crewperson, respectively, over the last 40 years Tom and Candace have risen within the ranks of the McDonald's system to own and operate nine McDonald's restaurants in the Inland Empire located in Chino, Ontario, Montclair, Pomona, Riverside and Rubidoux. Both Tom and Candace are members of the McDonald's Operators' Association of Southern California, which is comprised of more than 120 small business owners who operate more than 600 McDonald's restaurants in the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura. BD+C
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
Burwell Architects, Ziegler Cooper Architects announce merger
Ziegler Cooper Architects is pleased to announce that Burwell Architects has merged into the Corporate Interior Studio of Ziegler Cooper Architects. We believe the new relationship will enhance and expand the services we can provide to our clients.
| Aug 11, 2010
BE&K Building Group, Turner, BRPH awarded Boeing 787 Dreamliner assembly plant project
A joint venture of the BE&K Building Group and Turner Construction (BE&K | Turner), with design partner BRPH, has been awarded the design-build contract for design and construction of The Boeing Company’s new 787 Dreamliner final assembly plant in North Charleston, South Carolina.
| Aug 11, 2010
Sustainable Buildings as Teaching Tools: 4 Strategies for Integrating Buildings into Experiential Learning
4 Strategies for Integrating Buildings into Experiential Learning
| Aug 11, 2010
Using physical mockups to identify curtain wall design flaws
Part two of a five-part series on diagnosing and avoiding cladding, glazing, and roofing failures from building forensics expert IBA Consultants.
| Aug 11, 2010
Morphosis builds 'floating' house for Brad Pitt's Make It Right New Orleans foundation
Morphosis Architects, under the direction of renowned architect and UCLA professor Thom Mayne, has completed the first floating house permitted in the U.S. for Brad Pitt’s Make It Right Foundation in New Orleans.The FLOAT House is a new model for flood-safe, affordable, and sustainable housing that is designed to float securely with rising water levels.
| Aug 11, 2010
Turner edges out Perkins+Will for the top spot on BD+C's Top 200 Building Team LEED APs ranking
With 1,006 LEED Accredited Professionals on staff, Turner Construction took the top spot on Building Design+Construction’s 2009 ranking of AEC firms with the most LEED APs, published as part of the Giants 300 report. Turner added more than 580 LEED APs during the past year to surpass Perkins+Will, which held the top spot four years running.
| Aug 11, 2010
BIG's 'folded façade' design takes first-prize in competition for China energy company headquarters
Copenhagen-based architect BIG, in collaboration with ARUP and Transsolar, was awarded first-prize in an international competition to design Shenzhen International Energy Mansion, the regional headquarters for the Shenzhen Energy Company.
| Aug 11, 2010
Guggenheim and Google team up on shelter design competition
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Google yesterday announced the launch of Design It: Shelter Competition, a global, online initiative that invites the public to use Google Earth and Google SketchUp to create and submit designs for virtual 3-D shelters for a location of their choice anywhere on Earth. The competition opened on June 8, 2009, in honor of Frank Lloyd Wright’s birthday, and closes to submissions on August 23.