ThyssenKrupp Elevator’s U.S. Factory Earns LEED® Gold Certification
Middleton, Tennessee facility is the only elevator factory in the world to receive LEED for Existing Building: Operations and Maintenance Gold Certification.
ThyssenKrupp Elevator has reaffirmed its commitment to the role sustainability plays in its business practices as well as employee health and safety through the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) LEED certification.
“This facility was built in 1969, when green building practices were not on the radar. So, we are tremendously proud our team was able to attain this impressive level of certification for a facility built almost 50 years ago.” said Rich Hussey, president and CEO of ThyssenKrupp Elevator Americas. “Our efforts benefit both ThyssenKrupp and the state of Tennessee because we are able to use less energy and water, reduce our emissions and create a healthier working environment for our employees.”
The biggest stride made in the pursuit of certification was the improvement of the air quality in the plant. “We increased the amount of outside air to ventilate the space by ~150,000 cubic feet per minute, which translates to ~216,000,000 cubic feet per day,” said Brad Nemeth, vice president of sustainability, ThyssenKrupp Elevator Americas. “Along with other energy saving measures, we integrated a building management system into the factory to control the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning remotely. In total, our efforts save 3,317,684 kilowatt hours of electricity per year — enough to power all the homes in Middleton, Tennessee all year round. We also installed low-flow fixtures and entirely eliminated outside irrigation by using native grasses and plants in our landscape, saving 620,000 gallons of water annually.”
“LEED certification identifies ThyssenKrupp Elevator Manufacturing as a showcase example of sustainable design and demonstrates your leadership in transforming the building industry,” said officials from theUSGBC. On the date of the certification, we were one in only 3,416 certified projects under the Existing Building: Operations and Maintenance category.
ThyssenKrupp Elevator leads the industry in product transparency. The company’s LEED Gold certified Tennessee factory produces the most energy efficient elevators in North America as certified by third-party, TÜVRheinland ® the leading provider of product testing and certifications in the worldwide marketplace . In addition, this facility manufactures an elevator control system that meets the highest levels of efficiency based on the VDI 4707 European standard for measuring and comparing elevator energy use.
ABOUT LEED
The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System is the internationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings. LEED, developed by the USGBC, promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human environmental health: sustainable site development, water efficiency, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
Sasha Bailey, LEED AP BD C
Strategic Communications Manager
ThyssenKrupp Elevator Americas
Mobile: +1 (469) 236-6290
E-mail: sasha.bailey@thyssenkrupp.com
About ThyssenKrupp Elevator Americas
ThyssenKrupp Elevator Americas is the largest producer of elevators in the Americas, with more than 15,500 employees, in more than 230 branch and service locations. ThyssenKrupp Elevator Americas oversees all business for the operations in the United States, Canada, Central and South America. It is a subsidiary of ThyssenKrupp Elevator AG.
ThyssenKrupp, a global technology and materials group headquartered in Essen, Germany, employs around 155,000 people in just under 80 countries. In the fiscal year 2013/2014, ThyssenKrupp generated sales of more than 9 billion euros (approximately $11.4 billion) in North America and employed more than 20,500 people. In North America, ThyssenKrupp oversees more than 40 companies in the United States, Canada and México; its companies offer a range of products including: premium carbon steel, high-performance alloys, automotive components, elevators, escalators, material trading, handling and logistics, plant construction and industrial services.
