Ciminelli Real Estate oversees Wendel’s headquarters transformation; adaptive reuse project earns LEED

Williamsville, NY There are a few things that make getting out of bed in the morning a little bit sweeter. A hot cup of your favorite coffee, catching the morning news or maybe a refreshing shower. But the icing on the cake that makes anyone happy to roll out of bed, is enjoying where you work. Your work environment can affect job satisfaction just as much as your role or the people you work with. Working in a healthy and safe environment can boost morale and productivity, according to the World Health Organization. Seeing a need in the market to help companies create functional as well as inspirational spaces, Wendel expanded its expertise to include office interiors and headquarter relocations. The true catalyst for transitioning into this market came about with the decision to relocate our headquarters to a larger space to accommodate our growing company. Wendel’s new headquarters, located in Centerpointe Corporate Park, was an adaptive reuse project that gutted the entire second floor of an existing facility, measuring 37,000 s/f. Wendel tapped into its own professionals to bring this project to fruition. Being stewards of the environment is part of Wendel’s mission, and creating an energy efficient, top performing space immediately bubbled up as a centerpiece of the project. “Deciding to leverage existing building stock for our corporate headquarters was a key sustainable decision. We are thrilled to have our project receive certification under LEED for Commercial Interiors as well further validating our efforts to be environmental stewards,” said Stewart Haney, president and CEO of Wendel. Undertaking the LEED process helped guide the design of a healthy, energy-efficient space where people look forward to coming into work. Elements such as daylighting, sophisticated materials and eco-friendly finishes were incorporated to create a light, airy, quiet, comfortable, collaborative, and most importantly, inspiring space for Wendel employees to thrive. Wendel headquarters received LEED Certification under the LEED v3 Commercial Interiors Rating System. The credits targeted for certification support the use of sustainable practices in sourcing materials, provide a healthy indoor environment for occupants, boost energy efficiency and benefit the community at large. A few of the strategies taken to achieve certification include: • Employed water efficiency strategies that use 20% less water than baseline building; • Over 60% construction debris diverted from the landfill; • Engaged in a two year contract to purchase over 565,000kWh of Green e-certified renewable energy (mix of wind, solar, biomass); • Innovative digital lighting management system including daylight harvesting, vacancy sensors and dimming options; • New LED lighting throughout; • Reuse of furniture and fixtures; • Use of regionally sourced materials and materials with high-recycled content; • Purchase of company bicycles for employees to promote health and wellness; • Low and no-VOC finishes; • Modification and reuse of existing heat pump system and equipment; and • Enhanced commissioning of systems. Ciminelli Real Estate Corp. oversaw the construction process for Wendel. “From the project’s inception, Wendel and Ciminelli were both committed to creating a facility that would be environmentally friendly and efficient to operate,” said Paul Ciminelli, Ciminelli’s president and CEO. “Throughout the design and construction process, we followed the aggressive set of standards established by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). This was a textbook example of how to do it right.”