Mungenast Opens First Lexus Dealership Built to LEED Standards

Dave Mungenast Lexus of St. Louis announced the opening of what is poised to be the first LEED-NC certified Lexus new car dealership in the United States.

The new dealership facility - located at 13700 Manchester Road in Manchester, Missouri - is the first Lexus new car dealership facility planned and built from the ground-up, adhering to stringent LEED for New Construction (LEED-NC) Certification guidelines. The entire dealership project, once opened, will be the best example nationally of ecological responsibility for Lexus and luxury car owners.

LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. It evaluates environmental performance from a whole-building perspective, providing the standard for a "green building." The LEED designation was created by the United States Green Building Council in 1994. Nationally, there are approximately 2,476 LEED-certified buildings classified as "Green" by the USGBC, with only 1,600 of those certified with the LEED-NC designation.

"We're committed to environmental responsibility and we intend to demonstrate the depth of that commitment by our actions with the construction and operation of this new Lexus dealership facility," comments Ray Mungenast, President of Dave Mungenast Lexus of St. Louis.

The 70,000 square foot, two-story building showcases a showroom and service lounge featuring the latest in upscale customer amenities. The facility also houses a state-of-the-art 32 bay service area with a complimentary car wash and detail area behind the showroom, which will be able to accommodate not only Lexus models but all types of luxury vehicles.

The building was designed and planned with various environmentally-friendly aspects and constructed with state-of-the-art materials, including insulated architectural precast panels and aluminum curtain walls with high-performance glazing. The roof was designed and constructed with special layers of insulation and a white membrane to reduce the heat island effect and lower energy consumption. The HVAC and electrical systems are highly efficient with advanced controls and sensors. Low-flow plumbing fixtures were installed to reduce water usage. The dealership facility has a stormwater management system in place to manage the quantity and rate of storm water runoff. And the landscaping is a water-efficient design which utilizes native plants in select areas and reduces the amount of irrigation required for the proper appearance. The new building will reduce potable water by over 40% percent and use over 15% percent less energy.

Other considerations for the environment include the selection of finishes and the use materials such as certified woods, low VOC products, and recycled materials throughout the dealership. The environmentally-friendly design and construction of the new dealership is LEED registered, and is tracking for a LEED Silver designation.

Mungenast notes, "This project definitely involved some additional upfront expenses to meet the stringent LEED Certification standards. And our commitment to the environment didn't end there; our ongoing, daily operations will be higher than normal due to the fact that every possible item, service and process will have a recyclable directive." He continues, "But we know that ultimately we will reap the benefits of this green building through lower operation costs, due to the efficiencies that were designed and implemented into the construction of our new facility."

The development, contractor and construction companies who worked on the new "Green" Lexus dealership includes HDA Architects and Holland Construction Services, Inc. as the major partners. Other partners included Acorn Landscaping, Ameri-Structure, Inc., Budrovich Excavating, Cole & Associates, Inc., Geotechnology, Inc., Kaiser Electric, Maddock, Henson & Haberstroh and Murphy Company. Vertegy served as the LEED consultant on the project.

According to Robin Wear, Vertegy's Manager of Operations, "Dave Mungenast Lexus of St. Louis and the entire project team should be commended for their forward thinking and dedication to sustainability which pushed this ‘atypical LEED project' to employ innovative strategies to accomplish the project's LEED goals." Wear also mentioned the appreciation on the part of the contractors/subcontractors for the dealership to move forward with this important ecological project in a down economy.

The new dealership facility is a concrete example of Dave Mungenast Lexus of St. Louis' and the Mungenast Family's enduring commitment to preserving the environment for future generations - exemplified throughout the development and construction of this green facility, as well as the implementation of ecologically responsible operational initiatives. Mungenast comments, "It's not even about this specific dealership. It's really about us, our customers and the world we leave our kids and grandkids."

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