The U.S. Green Building Council has awarded the Eugene medical building gold certification under its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program, commonly known as LEED.
Gold is the second highest LEED certification rating, after platinum. Slocum is just the third building in the metro area to achieve gold certification, joining the Wayne Morse Federal Courthouse in Eugene and the Royal Caribbean call center in Springfield, according to the building council’s Web site. No local buildings have achieved platinum certification.
The building is also the first orthopedic facility in the United States to be LEED gold certified, according to Slocum officials.
Attaining gold certification is notable because medical buildings are subject to more stringent building codes, said Dr. Thomas Wuest, president of Slocum Orthopedics.
“When we first started planning for our new building, we recognized the challenges of redevelopment in an urban environment,” Wuest said. “Yet we also saw the opportunity to create a building that made a sustainable statement at one of Eugene’s key entrances. We couldn’t be more pleased with the level of LEED certification and our facility.”
The four-story, 80,000-square-foot Slocum building, located at 55 Coburg Road in Eugene, opened in late summer 2007. The $20 million building was designed and built by the Neenan Co., a design-build firm in Fort Collins, Colo., that specializes in health care projects. The building is owned by McKay Commercial Properties of Eugene.
The LEED process evaluates buildings based on specific green-building criteria, including water efficiency, energy, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, innovation and design.
Wuest said his favorite feature of the building is simply the way it is positioned on the property. Rather than being parallel or perpendicular to Coburg Road, the building is rotated to maximize the use of natural light.
Making it a green building added 10 to 15 percent to construction costs, but the building is 33 percent more energy efficient than required by Oregon building codes, Wuest said. Savings are achieved through occupancy sensors and software that controls office equipment; a lighting system that automatically dims or brightens lighting depending on the level of natural daylight available; and increased insulation and ventilation systems.
The building also was designed to reduce water demand by 30 percent and features drought-resistant landscaping. The use of materials containing polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, was reduced by 30 percent, which was a “major accomplishment,” said Whitney Churchill, design manager with the Neenan Co.
The Slocum practice, named for founder Donald Slocum, a pioneering orthopedic surgeon, has 236 employees.
