Miller Construction Building Green Ashley Furniture HomeStore

Post Ashley Furniture 2
Traci Miller

Traci Miller

Senior Vice President Business Development

Meeting tough national standards for durable, “green” construction, Miller Construction Company is building a 25,000-square-foot Ashley Furniture HomeStore at 3775 N. Federal Highway, Oakland Park.

The latest addition to the Fort Lauderdale area’s Furniture Row, the store is scheduled to open in early 2013, according to Miller Construction Company President Harley W. Miller.  “The store’s upscale finishes, lighting and displays will catch consumers’ attention, but they’re less likely to notice the high-performing features of the building itself,” he said.

For owner City Furniture, which is Ashley Furniture HomeStores’ South Florida licensee, Miller Construction is building the new store to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.  Miller said the firm’s expert LEED construction team is focused on maximizing the store’s environmentally friendly potential – from conserving energy and water, to incorporating regionally-sourced materials and recycling 75 percent of construction waste.

The store is also being built to satisfy stringent loss prevention engineering standards of global property insurance giant FM Global, which go well beyond code requirements.  Miller Construction Company brings experience in meeting FM Global’s structural standards, which work to protect assets and minimize the potential for losses.

“From our people and products to the stores themselves, taking extra care to build real and enduring value is in our company’s DNA,” said City Furniture President Keith Koenig.  “Miller’s team takes the same approach, with the expertise to build in lasting value.  We expect to realize ongoing savings through efficient energy and water use and lower insurance costs.”  This is the 13th retail facility Miller has built or renovated for the furniture retailer throughout southeast and southwest Florida.

The new Ashley Furniture HomeStore at the corner of North Federal Highway and N.E. 38th Street is one of five stores City Furniture is adding throughout the Tri-County area.  All are being built to achieve LEED certification, and will include “green” features such as expanses of low-emitting glass, super-high-efficiency air conditioning system and reflective roof coating.  More than 90 percent of the Oakland Park store’s hundreds of light bulbs will be energy-conserving LED bulbs, and the all-concrete parking lot will absorb less heat than a conventional asphalt lot.

Inside the store, upscale – but energy friendly – features include a stone tower with a water-wall and an architectural trellis.