Robert B. Green Campus Awarded LEED Gold for Environmentally Friendly Design

Six-story clinical building was designed to save energy and water, and minimize waste

University Health System’s new clinical building at the historic Robert B. Green Campus has been awarded the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Gold Certification for its environmentally friendly design and construction.

LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is an internationally recognized rating system that provides third-party verification of green buildings. Those ratings are based on factors such as sustainability, water and energy efficiency, materials use and indoor air quality.

“We’re proud that our Robert B. Green Campus is among the first building projects in Bexar County to receive LEED Gold Certification in the healthcare category,” said George B. Hernández Jr., president/CEO of University Health System. “By building in a way that saves both energy and water, we meet our goal of being good financial stewards — and good stewards of the environment. We’re also seeking LEED Gold certification for our new tower at University Hospital.”

The six-story clinical building, which opened in January 2013, was designed by the architectural team of RTKL and Overland Partners. The building features a long list of environmentally friendly achievements:

• Its urban location encourages walking, bicycling and public transportation.
• Stormwater runoff is 25 percent less than before construction.
• Reflective paving and roofing materials will reduce the urban heat island effect.
• Water conservation measures include drought-tolerant landscaping, condensate harvesting for irrigation and low-flow plumbing fixtures.
• The new building uses 26 percent less energy than a conventional building.
• Almost 90 percent of construction waste was recycled, keeping nearly 2,600 tons of waste out of landfills.
• Building materials contained high amount of recycled content and locally sourced materials.
• About 75 percent of the wood used in the project was certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, which promotes responsible forest management practices.
• Paints, coatings, adhesives and sealants are low in volatile organic compound, improving indoor air quality.
• University Health System has adopted an organic landscaping program and a system-wide green cleaning program to demonstrate an ongoing commitment to the community and the environment.