La Palmera, a 1 million square foot mall located in Corpus Christi, Texas, announced that its P.F. Chang’s China Bistro location has been awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification for Commercial Interiors for its use of sustainable materials in building the restaurant. This is the first P.F. Chang’s location to receive LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, which encourages global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices.
The 6,700-sqaure-foot restaurant incorporates LEED qualifying features such as the use of recycled materials (24 percent of all materials) and local resources (more than 20 percent of all materials), and water and energy efficiencies (reduction in water consumption over 46 percent; use of 100 percent of available Energy Star qualified equipment). The restaurant is engaged in a two-year renewable energy contract that provides 50 percent of electricity from renewable resources.
Working closely with Aria Groups Architects, Inc. and Shawmut Design & Construction, the restaurant demonstrates P.F. Chang’s commitment to environmental sustainability. Many of the green initiatives designed into this store are being implemented in other newly constructed P.F. Chang’s locations.
“P.F. Chang's is committed to our communities and we recognize the profound impact we can make by utilizing sustainable materials in our restaurants,” says Lane Cardwell, president of P.F. Chang’s China Bistro concept. “We are proud to be recognized with LEED certification and will continue to explore environmentally-friendly design and building elements as we renovate existing spaces and expand into new communities in the future.”
The restaurant opened at La Palmera on June 29, 2010.
LEED is the nation’s preeminent program from the U.S. Green Building Council for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings. P.F. Chang’s project plans and final construction elements were reviewed by the GBCI, a third party, to determine the appropriate level of LEED certification.
