New Belgium Brewery is well known for their environmentally conscious business practices. When the company decided to build a second brewery and distribution center in Asheville, North Carolina, they brought these principals to the drawing board. Aided by architecture and design firm Perkins + Will and general contractor Adolfson and Peterson Construction, New Belgium has built a 131,000-sq-ft brewery, 5,000-sq-ft tasting facility and 1,800-sq-ft process water treatment plant next to the French Broad River near downtown Asheville. 

To achieve their green building goals, the designers used building materials recycled and repurposed from the stockyard buildings torn down to clear the 18-acre site and incorporated the use of natural ventilation and a solar hot water system. The construction team chose to use energy saving AP Armaflex® insulation to help increase thermal efficiency. Due to the buildings’ large and varied temperatures for different uses—such as the distribution center refrigeration and the heat created by the brewing vats—the HVAC distribution system and the ability for process heat recovery were essential in keeping energy use low. 

New Belgium has targeted the brewery to achieve U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED® Platinum certification, and it currently holds Gold status. 

ENR Southeast awarded the $140 million Asheville brewery “Best Project” in the Manufacturing category in November 2016 during its annual competition. Ninety projects were submitted from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Puerto Rico and were judged based on construction and design quality, safety record, and the contribution to the industry and the community. To learn more about the “Best Projects Award” or to see other 2016 winners, click here.