By: Tracey L. Kelley
Sustainability is no longer a buzzword. Perhaps in the winemaking industry, it never really was. Growers frequently enact innovative solutions focused on water conservation, renewable energy and waste-free practices. For example, major producers such as Fetzer Vineyards and Shafer Vineyards adapted green solutions as far back as 1999, and organic growers go back even further.
The initial costs of sustainable integration—easier for new projects rather than through retrofitting, although some effective solutions are viable for existing estates—provide significant return-on-investment over the life of the buildings and grounds. Now more than ever, it’s easier for progressive vineyards and wineries to take advantage of the latest eco-friendly technology and create properties that reflect their integration with the land, and honor the origin of their products.
“They know sustainable-building strategies are good for the climate, good for their site and can make a huge financial impact when considered over the life of a building or business,” said Jon Gentry, owner and partner of goCstudio architecture + design in Seattle, Washington. “It’s our intent that projects use limited natural resources responsibly, and each design enriches its site and cultural landscape.” won an American Institute of Architects’ Emerging Firm Award in 2018.
Learning About Potential Solutions
Gentry told The Grapevine Magazine that clients benefit most by consulting with sustainability experts when they’re first curious about this direction, which helps determine site needs, budget and program. “Having solutions thoughtfully considered from the beginning leads to designs that function and look better in the end. These solutions might include natural daylight and ventilation, solar panel arrays, green roofs, locally-produced materials, geothermal heat pumps and striving to use materials that will be low maintenance and stand the test of time,” Gentry said.
As one example, goCstudio designed several site-specific sustainable strategies for COR Cellars in Lyle, Washington. “The site has strong winds that funnel up through the Columbia River Gorge. It was important to deal with this element, so we created a courtyard building that provided a protected entry and event space,” Gentry said. “We also bermed the building into the natural sloping hillside using the earth’s mass to help insulate the structure. Finally, we created a flat, low-profile roof that allowed the owners to easily install a solar panel array or a built-up green roof.”
During information gathering, all the terms and concepts for sustainability options might be a surprise. For instance, LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. LEED is the blueprint to “create healthy, highly efficient and cost-saving green buildings,” according to the U.S. Green Building Council, which oversees the various levels of LEED certification and its rating system. One large step beyond that is the International Living Future Institute, or ILFI. This nonprofit implements even higher green building standards, which include living building certification, petal certification and net zero energy building certification.
There are varying degrees of net zero status. Dwight Schumm is a senior mechanical engineer and managing principal at Design Engineers in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. His firm designs building systems—heating, cooling, plumbing, power and lighting—and its net zero headquarters is LEED and ILFI rated. The New Buildings Institute, a nonprofit that promotes better energy performance in commercial buildings, has Design Engineers on its 2019 list of only 580 “getting to zero” certified, verified and emerging projects in the entire United States and Canada. The firm designed another net zero building on that list: Indian Creek Nature Center, also in Iowa, and winner of the 2019 High Performing Buildings Technology award.
“Net zero describes a number of different things,” Schumm said. “A net zero energy building means it produces as much energy as it uses—that would be total amount of all types of energy. So, for example, if you have natural gas consumption, you’d need to produce enough energy to offset that. Net zero electricity is separate from net zero energy, but most rated buildings with this intent are electric, so it’s usually the same thing,” he said.
Net Zero Water Leads Conservation Efforts
Schumm also noted that properties can strive for net zero water management. A primary concern for vineyards, this means all water used onsite comes from a well, and all rainwater that falls on a property stays there—there’s not a storm runoff removal system. “With our office building, even though much of the area is covered with pervious material so water can infiltrate, we also designed an infiltration basin—sometimes called a bioswale,” he said. “Instead of holding and then moving water away—which often happens around many non-pervious parking lots—this basin is designed to ease water into the ground.”
Allen Rossignol is president and CEO of Edge Architecture in Rochester, New York. As a certified LEED professional, Rossignol guides his firm to apply green and sustainable practices to winery and craft beverage projects throughout the Northeast, such as Red Tail Ridge Winery in Penn Yan—New York’s first LEED Gold Certified winery—and the FLCC Viticulture and Wine Center. Rossignol provided some additional specifics for water conservation.
“The amount of water used for cleaning is a large concern for all wineries. We often suggest a metered water system so owners can be aware of their consumption and make efforts to reduce the amount used,” he said. “Further, as wastewater from the winemaking process is large in quantity and has high levels of BOD (biochemical oxygen demand), there are two solutions: 1) hold and treat or 2) septic systems. With the first solution, we successfully reuse the water for irrigation of the vineyards. The second allows natural replenishment of aquifers.”
Architects and engineers aren’t the only sustainability professionals thinking about water management. Matt Milby is the designBUILD project development manager for Morton Buildings, based in Morton, Illinois. The company pioneered green construction practices with its first building in 1949, and implemented early advances in Energy Star and LEED certification in its industry. “Renewable energy initiatives such as water reduction or advanced heating and cooling systems that also provide cost-savings are important to wineries,” he said. “Also, low-flow water fixtures are easy to find and significantly reduce water usage without sacrificing service.”
Your Partnership With Architects, Builders and Engineers
If you’re passionate about sustainability, sourcing the right design and building partners are essential to your success. “We encourage owners to first connect with an architect whose work they’re drawn to,” Gentry said. “Architects generally have strong relationships with talented builders that do great work. Make sure it stands up to how they’re presenting their services and that sustainable strategies are built into their processes from the beginning.”
“An experienced winery architect can help streamline your facility, resulting in better operational flows and a more efficient building,” Rossignol added. For Red Tail Ridge, Rossignol and his team “included the use of a geothermal heating and cooling system that serves the building and the winemaking process equipment, which is unique to the wine industry,” he said. “Natural ventilation and wastewater harvesting are additional features that contribute to the green design.” Combined with high-efficiency windows and skylights to maximize daylighting and a white-reflecting roof to reduce temperature, Rossignol said the winery’s energy efficiency is 40% greater than baseline equivalent buildings.
“Consumers are looking for more out of their wine experiences. A knowledgeable winery architect can help you create the destination they’re seeking, and a well-designed winery or tasting room is the key to increasing traffic and interest in your winery,” Rossignol said.
“The absolute, number one thing any user can do to be sustainable is minimize how much energy they use,” Schumm told The Grapevine Magazine. “To incorporate these principles and goals, the earlier you start, the better, so hire engineers and other design professionals with the appropriate sustainability expertise. This is really critical because, in the beginning, you have a blank slate. But too far along in the process, more constraints exist, which limit your flexibility,” he said. However, if you want renewable solutions for an existing facility, Schumm advised getting a feasibility study and an energy audit, and making adaptations where you can.
Design Engineer’s website has articles featuring real-world numbers demonstrating where to find net zero savings. Not surprisingly, the primary category contributing to energy efficiency is conservation. “Methods such as daylighting, energy recovery for ventilation, good passive solar design, southern exposure with appropriate shading and so on. Then, another quarter of the savings comes from geothermal heat pumps,” he said.
Rossignol agreed. “Heat recovery systems such as ventilation systems re-circulate warm air, so energy used to heat buildings isn’t wasted. And geothermal has drastically proven to reduce heating energy and, for wineries, in particular, can be integrated with the cooling systems for fermentation,” he said.
The structure that houses these systems shouldn’t be an afterthought. For example, Morton’s steel roofing and siding has high levels of recycled content and is completely recyclable at the end of its lifespan. “By combining sustainable building practices and our Energy Performer insulation system, many of our buildings are able to achieve national recognition for their efficiency,” Milby said.
Morton’s post-frame construction allows for continuous insulation between structural elements. “So plumbing, electrical and HVAC systems are placed between the insulation and in the finished wall or ceiling. This configuration results in no penetration of the insulation and an increase in energy efficiency and overall insulation performance,” Milby said. He added that cool roofing or high-reflective roofing products reduce the “heat island” effect on a building, and lowers energy use and costs. Foundations with concrete lower pier columns eliminate wood contacting the ground and wood treatment and require less excavation and less concrete. Morton even utilizes sustainable sourcing.
“Long before the U.S. Green Building Council created LEED, Morton Buildings was already applying a number of sustainable building practices. Since 1949, we’ve used timber frames manufactured from renewable wood sources. To conserve energy and natural resources, the materials used in most Morton buildings are manufactured within 500 miles of each building site,” Milby said.
What’s On the Horizon
Now that sustainability solutions are more attainable, there are numerous trends to consider for your operation.
“I think the rise in mass timber structures is very exciting,” Gentry of goCstudio architecture + design said. “We’ve used cross-laminated timber components on a smaller scale—like our renovation of the Substantial space in Seattle. Mass timber structural components require less than one-fourth the carbon emissions to produce compared to steel or concrete components,” he said. “There’s an elemental beauty to cross-laminated timber panels and glue-laminated structural beams that’s compatible with a lot of the winery spaces we love to imagine.”
Milby of Morton Buildings is thrilled to see the trend of reusing old building materials in new buildings. “It connects the new and the old with really interesting and popular interior designs. At the same time, it’s helping the environment: fewer items put into landfills and less harvesting of materials, such as woods and minerals, along with the impact of not manufacturing new building products,” he said.
Schumm of Design Engineers is hopeful about energy storage and electricity. “I think thermal and electricity storage is becoming more important and cost-effective. Soon, you’ll have electricity storage onsite to dispatch when it’s most advantageous for you. This trend will grow significantly,” he said. “Additionally, electrify everything. If you’re able to transition from any kind of combustible—natural gas, diesel, anything—to electric, you’re reducing C02 emissions as well as relying on 100% renewable energy.”
“The consumer appetite for environmental design and interest in learning about the process of beverage making has pushed wineries to evolve into more of a destination than ever before, and it’s been really great to see how this industry embraces this new role,” said Rossignol of Edge Architecture.
