San Mateo. CA- June 1, 2010- Hall Estate Winery in Napa Valley, CA has quickly become a model for green wine production. Owners of the winery and of HALL wines, Craig and Kathryn Hall partnered with world- renowned architect Frank Gehry and Los Angeles-based IBE Consulting Engineers (Ideas for the Built Environment) to construct a $100 million winery that is aesthetically beautiful and environmentally friendly. The concept of green construction is a familiar one to the Halls, who pursue green endeavors in all of their winerys. In July 2009, the Hall St. Helena’s Winery, also owned by Craig and Kathyrn Hall, was the first winery in California to be awarded LEED certification by garnering LEED Gold certification.
Alan Locke, PE and founder of IBE Consulting Engineers, explained why IBE was the perfect fit for the Hall Estate Winery project: “we build sustainable systems into every assignment, a process that starts early in project conversations.” Locke praised the project, saying, “The Hall Estate Winery was an especially productive effort, as the owner and architects were committed to true environmental stewardship.”
The winery’s green endeavors include an elaborate rooftop solar power system and radiant flooring. These two installations will minimize energy consumption on the 120,000 square foot development within the 33-acre vineyard. The radiant system consists of an installation of water piping in the winery’s cement floors, which allows cold or warm water to run through the substrata and thus efficiently regulates production room temperatures. Complementary to both the precise science of wine making and environmental sustainability, radiant heat technology is one of the most effective room temperature control methods. In regards to the solar power system, the enormous solar power panels take up 42,000 square feet of roof space, yet provide 35 percent of the winery’s energy. The panels for the project were designed with architect Gehry to make sure they were both environmentally friendly and visually appealing.
The Hall Estate Winery project has been met with great success and drawn several accolades. According to William H. Dahl Jr., Senior Associate at IBE Consulting Engineers, the solar power system is “producing a little more power over our estimate with brand new and clean panels,” that can be “washed, and [their] output can be monitored online. It is a very successful installation.” Notably, the US Green Building Council has awarded the winery with a LEED-Gold (Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design) certification rating. LEED- Gold certification is the second highest ranking in the measure of sustainability.
Functional and efficient, this Hall Estate Winery project gives evidence to the rising trend of environmentally friendly business practice and demonstrates a method of employing such practices with ease.