Keeping its commitment to healthy people and a healthy planet, Nordic Naturals announces the opening of its new corporate headquarters in Watsonville registered with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) project. The LEED Green Building Rating System™ is a third-party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings. The LEED program promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality.
Nordic Naturals new headquarters is targeting a Gold certification and, once the certification process is completed, the facility will be the first LEED Gold green building in Santa Cruz County. A ribbon cutting ceremony will take place on Monday, February 7th.
The new headquarters of 118,000 square feet light industrial building consists of 43,000 square feet of corporate offices with the remaining square feet dedicated to warehousing and wholesaling. The warehouse will initially consist of 44,000 square feet with the remaining square footage to be completed in the second phase of the project.
The exterior design of the building is inspired by Norwegian fishing villages, with multi-gabled facades and strong colors. The interior design also follows suit, with Norwegian textures and colors offering splashes of red and blues, while the main scheme remains neutral. Stone and woodwork have been added to represent traditional Norwegian building designs.
According to Joar Opheim, Nordic Naturals Founder and CEO, "The inspiration for this building is my homeland in Norway, where environmental responsibility is taken very seriously. It has always been a part of Nordic Naturals' mission to demonstrate our leadership around important issues that affect the environment, our society, health, and wellness."
Nordic Naturals partnered with Ausonio Inc., a design/build construction company in Castroville, who won a prestigious Tilt-Up Achievement Award for the building. The project management and interior design was completed by Interior Light and Design, a company located in Santa Cruz whose owner is also Norwegian.