Larson & Darby project awarded LEED gold certification

ROCKFORD — Heddington Oaks, a $36.5 million, 214-bed senior care facility in Peoria and a Larson & Darby Group project, was recently recognized with a LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

Heddington Oaks is a state-of-the-art skilled care home that provides a unique living space for its residents. Through a collaboration of Peoria County and an Integrated Project Delivery team, the facility was constructed with sustainability and cost control as key components. A critical component of the design included implementing as many LEED® features as possible.

“It is always extremely important that we incorporate as many energy efficient design elements as possible in any project we do,” said Richard McClelland, principal and senior living and healthcare architect with Larson & Darby. “We are beyond pleased that we were able to work so well with the County and the entire design team to achieve LEED® Gold for this project.”

LEED® is the nation’s preeminent program for the design, construction and operation of high performance green building. The certificate is established by the USGBC and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute. The Heddington Oaks certification was announced in August 2014, officially adding the 154,000 square feet building to the nearly 3.3 billion square feet of building space in the United States that are LEED®-certified.

“The strength of USGBC has always been the collective strength of our leaders in the building industry,” said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council. “Given the extraordinary importance of climate protection and the central role of the building industry in that effort, Larson & Darby Group demonstrates their leadership through the LEED® certification of Heddington Oaks.”

LEED certification of Heddington Oaks was based on a number of green design and construction features that positively impact the project itself and the broader community. These features include the usage of:
Fire proofed steel
Brick and fiberboard siding on steel studs
Asphalt shingles and single ply roofing
VAV with energy recovery
Boiler system for reheat

About Larson & Darby
Founded more than 50 years ago, Larson & Darby is an award-winning, full-service architectural, engineering, interiors and technology design firm located in Rockford, IL. The firm has a diverse portfolio and serves the following markets: academic, civic/cultural, corporate/industrial, health care, municipal, residential, and retail. Larson & Darby was named the “2013 Small Business of the Year” by the Rockford Area Chamber of Commerce and the “2009 Firm of the Year” by the Northern Illinois Chapter of the AIA. For more information, visit www.larsondarby.com.