News

Wisconsin Culver's restaurant earns LEED certification

March 11, 2013

The Culver's restaurant on Linn Street in West Baraboo, Wis., has been certified "Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design" (LEED) by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The restaurant, which opened in September 2011, is one of the first restaurants to become LEED certified in Wisconsin.

"We're very excited over this news," said Jon Sandeman, Culver's project architect and LEED project administrator. "For the last year and-a-half this restaurant has been a classroom to us as we have learned the return on investment on each of the design elements and understand which efficiency measures might be good additions systemwide."

Three of the "green" strategies integrated into the West Baraboo Culver's are conserving water through low-flow plumbing fixtures, harvesting rain water from the roof and regulating storm water through prairie planted detention areas to minimize water flow off-site.

"We've probably seen more return on investment in the area of water conservation than anything else," Sandeman added.

Other green features include:

• Supplementing the electrical supply with solar panels. The panels double as shades for the outdoor dining patio;
• Increasing natural light through use of skylights and more glazing;
• Utilizing high efficiency mechanical systems;
• Building with Forest Certified Wood;
• Using recycled materials;
• Committing to regional materials; and
• Reducing heat island effect through both site and rooftop design.

Read more about sustainability.