Greenovative Design & Engineering, LLC (GD&E), a separate, sister company owned by Larry Madrid, is managing the design of a new facility for the Humane Society of Polk County. The not-for-profit organization purchased an 11,000 SF warehouse on a 4.7-acre property on Dundee Road in Winter Haven last year to greatly expand their facilities. The warehouse building had been used as a furniture outlet store and was basically just two large showrooms and a small office area. The dramatic transformation of this facility will make it into a state-of-the-art pet care facility, complete with surgical rooms for spaying and neutering; feline viewing areas segregated for kittens, adolescent, adult and senior cats; dog kennels; laundry and food prep areas, offices, grooming areas; a pharmacy; and a 1775 SF multi-purpose room. There will also be several dog runs adjacent to the building.
GD&E got the job because of its extensive knowledge of building green, including the knowledge gained by completing Madrid Engineering’s main office, a net-zero energy building that gets its electric power from a rooftop 26 kW solar array. Over a year’s time, on average MEG’s building uses as much energy as it generates from its solar panels. The Humane Society building will include a new innovative insulation system called GreenStar Panel hyperinsulation™ . These patent-pending rigid panels are placed under the roof and are made of expanded polystyrene with aluminum foil heat-bonded to the exterior. They form air channels that reflect heat and direct it away from the living areas by natural convection (i.e., hot air rises). Since most of the roof heat is directed away from the building before it gets in, the A/C cost will be dramatically reduced. Depending on thickness, the panels are rated a minimum R30 which exceeds the new Florida energy code.
The building will also feature low-e double pane windows that also reject heat gain, and highly efficient air conditioning units. LED lighting is planned throughout. LED lights use about 1/3rd the energy of fluorescent tubes, and last 5 times as long, greatly reducing the maintenance cost as well as energy usage. Finally, the owners plan to have a solar PV array on the roof if they qualify for a TECO grant that will reduce the up-front cost. The combination of energy saving devices will reduce the monthly utility bill significantly so more resources can be spent on the animals.
Pickett-Hunter Architects is assisting with plans preparation. Site permitting and final plans will be completed in December, and the contractor will be selected and begin work in January 2014.
