Portfolio - Whole Foods

Whole Foods

Whole Foods Market is a mission driven organization, aiming to set the standard for excellence in the natural and organic foods retail space, and creating win-win partnerships with suppliers to achieve their goals. The company also leads by example. Whole Foods Market has long been a champion for caring for its communities and sustainability, and has many foundations and initiatives in place to bring these values to fruition.

DC Engineering’s Tom Wolgamot (left) and Tristam Coffin of Whole Foods at ATMOsphere America 2015

DC Engineering shares Whole Foods Market’s passion for sustainability and environmental stewardship. For nearly a decade, DC’s retail teams have designed and provided operational support for refrigeration and other building systems that are innovative, eco-friendly and energy efficient. Many of the Whole Foods Market projects that DC has been involved in have received LEED Silver and Gold, Green Globes, and/or GreenChill certifications.

DC Engineering has also partnered with Whole Foods Market and other organizations on standards development, education, and awareness to pave the way for mainstream adoption of Natural Refrigerants and other innovative, energy efficient designs. DC and Whole Foods Market have provided joint presentations at ATMOsphere and NASRC sponsored conferences, providing studies and analysis on installed systems at various Whole Foods Market locations. Both organizations are also actively involved with ASHRAE and other organizations, providing additional avenues to further champion the case for embracing natural refrigeration systems.

Advancing the design and implementation of environmentally friendly refrigerant systems:

HFC distributed systems & Glycol secondary systems to lower the required refrigerant charge and reduce potential risk for leaks.
Cascade CO2 with HFC refrigeration system provided further improvement in energy efficiency by enabling CO2 to continuously operate in the low pressure, subcritical mode.
CO2 Transcritical system design to use only natural refrigerants in the system and improve overall energy efficiency.
CO2 Transcritical system integrated into a combined heat and power (CHP) system, where gas-fired generators were used during peak hours to reduce energy costs.
All-natural, Cascade CO2 ammonia refrigeration system that was a large step forward in all natural systems, improving energy efficiency and lowering operating pressures.
All-natural Propane and CO2 system in a Cascade configuration; a climate friendly, highly energy efficient system that re-directs heat from the CO2 side of the system, and then rejects heat through independent propane chillers

Assisting with load shifting energy storage systems for lower power costs and reduced stress on electricity grid

DC Engineering provided design review, store integration, and commissioning on an innovative thermal energy storage system that freezes a saline solution during off-peak hours for conversion to energy for use on-peak timeframes.
Project underway to utilize high capacity battery systems for load shifting away from on-peak hours. DC provided load planning and design for integration of the battery system into the store’s electrical systems.

Design solutions for Mixed Use Environments:

DC Engineering has partnered with Whole Foods and other organizations in the planning, coordination and design of some of Whole Foods’ most high profile and challenging projects in high density, mixed use environments, including the 2001 Market Street, and Ocean Avenue stores in San Francisco. The layout of these stores require creative and sustainable design, and an efficient use of space in order to help realize the overall vision of combining downtown living with energy efficient retail establishments.

DC Engineering is a valuable partner to us. Most importantly, they deliver. Whether it’s a high profile marquis store, or a smaller project, DC approaches every proposal with an attention to detail, and there’s no question that they’ll get the work done. They consistently demonstrate a willingness to take risks and ‘push the envelope’ to help us develop truly innovative solutions. Our partnership with them is helping transform the industry.

Tristam Coffin Director of Sustainability & Facilities, Whole Foods Markets