Hill’s Pet Nutrition Awarded WELL Platinum and LEED Gold

Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc., a subsidiary of Colgate-Palmolive, recently expanded its footprint in Kansas with the creation of a new hub for its Global and U.S. headquarters in Overland Park. The revamped facility has become the first WELL-Certified facility in Kansas and one of fewer than 500 worldwide, as awarded by the International WELL Building Institute.  

This prestigious recognition validates Hill’s Pet Nutrition’s commitment to fostering a healthy and productive workplace. The WELL Building Standard evaluates spaces across ten key areas: air, water, nourishment, light, movement, thermal comfort, sound, materials, mind, and community. To achieve Platinum, a building must score at least eighty points across various performance metrics, demonstrating excellence in fostering environments that prioritize both physical and mental wellbeing. 

In addition to achieving the WELL Platinum rating, Hill’s Pet Nutrition’s new headquarters has also earned a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. LEED recognizes buildings that prioritize environmental responsibility and sustainability, focusing on energy efficiency, water conservation, indoor air quality, materials selection, and waste management. By scoring sixty points across these categories, Hill’s Pet Nutrition has demonstrated a strong commitment to creating a sustainable workspace for years to come.  

The McCownGordon team collaborated with Hill’s Pet Nutrition to create a workplace that prioritizes both people and the planet. The new headquarters features a reception area, offices, meeting and training rooms, client experience space, employee lounges, indoor and outdoor dog parks and support areas. Hill’s Pet Nutrition challenged the design and construction team to achieve both WELL Platinum and LEED Gold certifications within a compressed timeline. Obtaining these certifications required strong commitment and extensive collaboration among all stakeholders. McCownGordon seamlessly integrated with Perspective Architecture + Design, Greenwood Consulting Group, Henderson Engineers, CBRE and Smith & Boucher to achieve these goals. This teamwork resulted in a facility that not only meets but exceeds expectations for a healthy, sustainable and innovative workspace. 

WELL Platinum Components

Indoor Light Quality:

• To improve associate concentration and productivity, circadian lighting was used for a lower intensity in the early morning and higher intensity as the day progresses. 

• Solar shading was installed to limit the amount of sunlight and heat that enters a building to avoid overheating, glare or visual discomfort. 

• Light fixtures with superior color rendering index (CRI) values were used for better indoor light quality. 

Indoor Air Improvements:

• To enhance the air quality in the facility, there are multiple living walls with plants and moss throughout the office space. 

• To track certain substances like carbon monoxide, dust, oxygen, carbon dioxide and VOCs, IAQ sensors were installed to monitor indoor air quality. 

Physical Activity Opportunities:

• A fitness center is available to allow employees to work out when they have free-time and improve mental and physical wellbeing.  

• Outdoor sanctuary spaces and walking trails are plentiful on campus for another opportunity to improve employee health. An outdoor “bark park” was even implemented for the pups!

 Acoustic Enhancements:

• Extra cushion was installed under hard flooring products to minimize sound transfers such as footsteps and other sounds from one space to another.  

• Wall partitions were built to a high STC rating, to reduce or eliminate sound transfer through walls. 

• A high quality “white noise” sound masking system was installed in all open office and community spaces. 

Nourishment Opportunities:

Hill’s Pet Nutrition provides a variety of easily accessible healthy food and beverages, snacks and meals. Snacks and hot/cold beverages are available in all five exceptional break rooms. Quality breakfast and lunch meals are available through a new café on the second floor. This onsite café was opened in conjunction with the Aspiria Campus to help attain WELL Platinum status. 

LEED Gold Elements

Water Efficiency:

The facility has decreased its water usage by 32% by using low–flow faucet and toilet fixtures. These fixtures have achieved water savings throughout the entire building. 

Construction Waste & Landfill Diversion:

• By recycling materials, waste on the project was reduced by 50%. 

• The jobsite had separate dumpsters for materials such as metal, cardboard and wood, to minimize waste going to landfills. Over two hundred tons of construction waste was diverted from landfills. Some of the largest contributors to this diversion number were existing carpets, ceilings, bathroom partitions, wall framing, piping and ductwork.  

• The existing carpet was recycled by the manufacturer, and in some cases donated to two area churches for reuse in their renovation projects. 

LEED and WELL certifications ensure that the Hill’s Pet facility is not only eco-friendly but also promotes mental and physical health. By improving air quality, natural light, access to green spaces and much more, an inspiring and supportive employee environment has been created. 

Read more about the project