CHICAGO — The runners-up in the 50th Annual Plant Design Awards were a repurposed Sears Hardware store and an innovative “green” design that incorporates natural light.Outstanding ReconstructionSiena Dry Cleaners, Giddings, Texas
Michael and Amy Pryzborski’s new plant was once a Sears Hardware store, but the casual observer would never know it. Located on a major highway in an Austin suburb, the location was ideal, but the building needed an overhaul.
Led by the owners and Houston-based Gulf States Machinery, the $1 million project expanded the building’s footprint, turned its frontage 90°, and added a drive-thru and plenty of green space. The stately 4,500-sq.-ft. plant now offers full drycleaning and laundry services, aided by an all-new production floor featuring Union, Unimac, Huebsch and Fulton equipment. Unipress finishers get the wrinkles out, and a drive-thru picture window shows off the double-buck shirt unit.
Siena’s call office offers seating for customers shopping for tuxedo rentals and AWGS gown preservations, while DCCS computers keep inventory in check.Outstanding New BuildDown to Earth Dry Cleaners & Laundry, Laramie, Wyo.
Located on a main street and within walking distance of a busy shopping center and one of the town’s only grocery stores, Down to Earth’s new plant is airy and modern. “Sky tubes” bring natural light into the building, brightening the production floor inexpensively, and the open layout allows customers to see where their clothes are headed.
The 3,000-sq.-ft. plant’s straightforward, inline layout moves clothing from the Multimatic GreenEarth machine and laundry area through the Ajax- and Sankosha-equipped finishing bays and onto a White Store-U-Veyor. Additional equipment includes a Parker boiler and Spot point-of-sale (POS) system.
For customer convenience, the attractive, stone-and-stucco plant offers a 24-hour drop box and covered drive-thru with distinctive awnings of galvanized steel.
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