Crown Uniform & Linen Service
by Kevin M. Provencher
Natick, MA – In 2014, Dacon completed a 94,000sf project for Crown Uniform & Linen Service in Brockton. The design-build project delivery method facilitated an integrated design process that focused on high-performance building and process systems, energy savings, cost control, and fast-track project scheduling. Prior to 2014, 85% of Crown’s energy was dedicated to laundry process loads.
Dacon strives to keep all clients and projects as green as possible during and after the construction process.
With the new integrated design process, waste water from the laundry equipment is now automatically recycled as rinse water in the wash cycles. This new process allows for more than seven million gallons of water to be recycled each year. Any rain that is collected during the year is harvested on the 80,000sf roof by a siphonic drainage system and directed to a 20,000-gallon cistern. This water supplements the recycled laundry process water, allowing Crown to harvest approximately 1 million gallons of rainwater per year.
In addition to conserving water, Dacon incorporated incentives from electric and gas utility providers to reduce the net incremental cost and payback to 1.1 years. Overall, these conservation measures have reduced Crown’s site energy use by 20% beyond the IECC requirements. These measures have also allowed Crown to remove more than 1.31 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions every year. As of 2017, Crown’s energy use intensity ranks among the top 5% of similar facilities in the region.
Additional energy conversation methods include a skylight and clerestory windows in the laundry area, where sensing controls adjust the amount of artificial light in response to how much daylight is available.
Kevin M. Provencher
Kevin M. Provencher, LEED AP BD+C is director of architecture at PDA, Dacon Corporation’s in house architectural firm.
