2011 Archived News
New $45M Printing Plant is Green by Design
September 05, 2011
Fredericksburg, VA -- Print Innovators' 92,000-square-foot facility is one of the most state-of-the art printing plants in the country. The plant features a Goss International Flexible Printing System press: the only one of its kind in the Americas. Print Innovators is owned by the The Free Lance-Star Publishing Co. - that also owns four radio stations, fredericksburg.com, and the flagship newspaper. The plant is designed as a way to diversify the Free Lance-Star operations.
The new plant, built by Winchester-based construction firm Howard Shockey & Sons Inc., replaces the Free Lance-Star's longtime production facility in downtown Fredericksburg.
The $45 million facility was designed to be environment-friendly under LEED guidelines established by the U.S. Green Building Council. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program incorporates energy savings, water efficiency, carbon dioxide emissions reduction, indoor air quality and stewardship into building design and operation.
Among the green features at Print Innovators: Native grasses and natural landscaping that requires less care and water, a white roof that reflects heat; a storage and collection area for recyclables; Materials such as paint, coatings and carpet that were selected to reduce or eliminate harmful volatile organic compounds; One-third of the furnishings from recycled or refurbished sources; and natural lighting. Natural light supplements other light in the building, reducing the power consumption.
"Some of the things you need to do, and some you would do in the course of design of a building. Some are extraordinary, but most of the initiatives are the right thing to do," says John Jenkins, operations director for The Free Lance-Star Publishing Co. Jenkins points out that this is an industrial building with only a small area of office space. Everything was designed around our work flow.
Most buildings in the industry have little or no natural lighting. We wanted people in the plant to have natural lighting so they can tell what time of day it is. Jenkins said the initial plan was to have a LEED-certified building. All of the elements are in place, but the cost of documenting the efforts was about $250,000, which was determined to be an unnecessary expense.
Source: BILL FREEHLING, THE FREE LANCE-STAR
P: 540.667.7700