Designed for sustainability, the facility minimizes water usage, automates high-quality atmospheric conditions, and generates 75% of total electricity usage from solar power.
AMESBURY, MA—The Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) is a green building certification program that, for the past 30 years, has awarded certifications to countless organizations worldwide in recognition of environmentally responsible construction projects. Recently awarded a Gold LEED Certification, the Amesbury Headquarters of Shea Concrete Products is one of the latest facilities to join the impressive global lineup of LEED-certified buildings.
The industry-leading precast concrete manufacturer’s journey toward LEED certification began decades ago when the leadership at Shea recognized their need for a larger, more advanced facility to accommodate their team.
“We purchased the Amesbury facility in the Fall of 1999, and after a few years, the Shea family envisioned the company headquarters would eventually move there [from Wilmington],” said Shea Concrete Products President Greg Stratis. “In the early stages of concepting the new facility, the Shea family asked for employee input. It was obvious what the top priorities were: improved efficiency, a comfortable and energetic environment, and a design that considers the impact on the City of Amesbury and the environment. Further discussions led us to the goal of LEED-certification—to not only show our commitment to the environment, but to ensure we create a positive place for our employees and customers to work and collaborate.”
Aiming to deliver a comfortable, environmentally friendly, and healthy headquarters, the Shea team launched the construction of the facility with design features to support the company’s sustainable mission. Now, the building boasts several attributes that enable Shea to conserve energy, reduce water consumption, and reduce operating costs.
Interior design decisions, like the use of low-VOC materials, functional onsite kitchens, sun-filled gathering areas, a 24/7 onsite gym, and state-of-the-art water filtration and automatic temperature control systems all work to create a better, healthier environment for team members. The facility even features a “Living Wall” and indoor plants, helping to improve air quality and provide a natural environment indoors. Automatic lighting controls, stormwater collection and treatment systems, and free-of-use onsite vehicle charging stations maximize the facility’s overall sustainability.
“Our new office building has made an incredibly positive impact on the overall well-being of the employees at Shea,” said Ted Dimando, who has been a part of the Shea team for 7 years. “The new building expanded our individual work areas, allowing employees to work freely and without many of the distractions that came in the old, condensed work environment. We are also lucky enough to have the ability to work out before or after our shift in our private gym, as well as make our own meals in our full kitchens.”
While the Shea team is hard at work, two onsite solar arrays help power the facility—providing 75% of the annual electrical generation utilized by the entire facility in Amesbury, MA (including the production halls).
Another substantial improvement from Shea’s previous headquarters facility is the new building’s capacity for hosting visitors. Large meeting and conference spaces allow the opportunity to host in-person technical training seminars that attract contractors, design engineers, construction inspectors, DOT personnel, and more.
“The LEED-certified headquarters facility enables us to not only better support our company team members, but also our customers, the New England engineering community, and local entities like the Amesbury, MA Chamber Of Commerce (COC),” said Hugh Scott, PE at Shea. “We are very fortunate for a facility that supports all of our activities so well!”
Shea’s work towards a more sustainable operation does not stop at their Gold LEED Certification. The team looks forward to making continuous improvements to all of Shea’s New England facilities to better serve the company and community for generations to come.
