A Ford redevelopment project, Fairlane Green Phase I, earned a Gold environmental certification from the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. Fairlane Green, a 405,000-square-foot retail center in Allen Park, Michigan, is the first retail center to receive LEED-Gold certification as a core and shell development in the United States.
The LEED green building rating system is the national standard in the United States for evaluating green buildings. LEED recognizes state-of-the-art strategies for sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. The core and shell certification program is designed for developers responsible for base building elements, such as the structure and building-level systems like central heating and cooling, but the not the building interior. The Gold designation represents significant achievement.
Ford owns the Allen Park Clay Mine Landfill, a 243-acre industrial waste site that underlies Fairlane Green. The largest planned retail development on a landfill, Fairlane Green will expand to be a one-million-square-foot retail center. Ford Land is also developing Phase II, which will add another 450,000 square feet. They will seek LEED certification for Phase II as well.
The site is a prime example of responsible land use. Ford's productive reuse of the landfill provides amenities, jobs and taxes on a site that would otherwise have remained dormant in a high-density urban community.
Ford Land ensured that the development fit within the community by preserving wide tracts of open green spaces, reserving 43 acres for a park and installing several miles of trails. Only one-third of the 243-acre site will be developed, making it 60 percent less dense than typical retail centers, according to statistics from the International Council of Shopping Centers.
Highly visible green landscape features remind visitors of the site's environmental mission. Large landscaped parking islands and hedgerows divide parking areas, green screens enable vegetation to grow up the sides of the buildings, and large planter boxes and rock gardens surround store entrances and ponds support wildlife.
Borrowing from lessons learned at other Ford sites, Fairlane Green uses landscaped swales, rock purification beds and ponds to cleanse and slow the flow of rainwater. The site even includes two green parking areas built with concrete pavers that allow grass to grow through them.
Fairlane Green Phase I is energy efficient and will employ high-efficiency heating and cooling systems, added insulation and weather sealing, and efficient windows and doors. The use of white roofing materials will reduce heat generated from the sun's exposure.
The development is equally efficient in its use of water. Water-efficient fixtures will reduce water use, and no city water will be used for landscape irrigation. Instead, all irrigation will be provided from captured rainwater in ponds. Fairlane Green is landscaped with native plants and grasses that require less maintenance to survive.
To preserve indoor air quality, the stores were built using paints, adhesives and sealants that emit low levels of fumes, and the ventilation system was protected from dust during construction.
Recycling was a key construction consideration. Recycled-content materials comprise nearly a quarter of all building materials used, and two-thirds of the construction waste was recycled.
