While the owner of D 92 Korean BBQ selected many environmentally friendly practices during the interior fit-out, he was surprised to learn that that green building certification was a requirement in Decatur. “The high performance building ordinance is fairly new in our city,” explains Carl Seville, vice president at SK Collaborative, who ushered the project through the certification process. “Achieving Three Green Globes verified that the restaurant met the city’s mandate.”
At D 92 Korean BBQ, food is cooked by servers right at the restaurant tables on inset grills. Offering this personal cooking experience to patrons meant that protecting indoor air quality was a priority. “Each table has its own exhaust, which is unique in most restaurants, and the small space has really large ceiling fans to circulate air,” explains David Johnson, the project’s Green Globes Assessor.
“… it’s great to hear from so many project teams that they find the process is accessible and user-friendly.”
D 92 Korean BBQ offers a menu of sustainable interiors and operations:
- Plumbing fixtures in the restrooms and commercial kitchen equipment save water.
- High efficiency tankless water heaters reduce hot water use and reduce energy consumption.
- Waste management initiatives include recycling and composting
- LED lighting, including the accent lighting, reduces energy consumption.
- An outside commissioning agent assessed the HVAC and mechanical systems.
- An environmental purchasing plan and integrated pest management program.
Excellent Customer Service
In the same way that good customer service makes a difference in the restaurant industry, Johnson says that the Green Globes process provides excellent customer service for project teams. “There’s a real focus on customers with Green Globes and that really comes into play in the success of a project,” Johnson asserts.
Much of Green Globes for Sustainable Interiors centers on how the space will be managed, and sustainable policies and practices are key to obtaining certification. “Because this project came into the process late, it took more effort than if they had used Green Globes guidance from the outset,” Johnson notes.
Johnson’s third-party assessment of D 92 Korean BBQ included onsite review of the completed building, interviews with members of the project team, and review of the documentation to verify the targeted achievements. “The assessor was great to work with,” Seville recalls. “He had everything lined up, and even helped us find items in our project that we weren’t aware minimized environmental impacts.”
“I enjoy meeting the people during the site visit and getting the chance to examine firsthand what they’ve accomplished,” says Johnson. “And it’s great to hear from so many project teams that they find the process is accessible and userfriendly.”
