L.L.Bean Data Center Earns LEED Silver

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A look inside the new L.L.Bean data center in Freeport, Maine. The facility has earned LEED Silver certification (Photo: idGroup).

L.L.Bean’s new Data Center in Freeport, Maine has achieved Silver certification through the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program, a voluntary rating system for energy efficient buildings overseen by the US Green Building Council. The facility was designed by the architecture and engineering firm Integrated Design Group Inc. (idGroup) of Boston.

“Designing a LEED built data center is an enormous feat," said Stafford Soule, Director of L.L.Bean’s Information Infrastructure. "Data centers are industrial buildings that don’t fit easily into the LEED concept. idGroup was able to create a concept and design that incorporated our technical and environmental criteria.”

The new 18,000 square foot data center was built on a site adjacent to an existing L.L.Bean facility, and is designed to hold up to 144 racks of servers supporting L.L.Bean’s growing internet business. The facility is engineered to support 4.2KW of power per rack, a power load that, when spread across the entire footprint of the technical space equals "the equivalent of 340 hair dryers running nonstop," the company said.

L.L.Bean's building process featured regional sourcing of materials, minimized site disturbance and the recycling of 50 percent of all construction waste to meet the LEED requirements. The wood used for the structure’s distinctive New England-style shingles was harvested within a 500-mile radius, using sustainable forestry practices.

L.L.Bean, Inc. is a leading retailer of quality outdoor gear and apparel. Founded in 1912 by Leon Leonwood Bean, the company has grown from a one-man operation to a global organization with annual sales of $1.5 billion. Company headquarters are in Freeport, Maine, just down the road from the original store.