Upper Cumberland Regional Health Facility Becomes 1st LEED-NC Platinum Project In Tennessee

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Upper Cumberland Regional Health Facility in Cookeville, Tenn. was awarded LEED-NC (LEED for New Construction) Platinum certification by the U.S. Green Building Council, making it the first building in the state of Tennessee to achieve this level.

The new $9.8 million, 50,733-square-foot facility was a joint venture by Brentwood, Tenn.-based architecture and design firm Thomas, Miller & Partners and Crossville, Tenn.-based Upland Design Group. Nashville, Tenn.-based Hardaway Construction was the general contractor on the project.

Completed in October 2010, the $9.8 million facility oversees all the health departments in the 14-county Upper Cumberland region and provides regional medical specialty clinics, such as tuberculosis, women’s health, HIV and genetics.

“The decisions made by the State of Tennessee and the design team yielded a building that achieved the highest level of sustainability while being both a good steward of taxpayer money and the environment,” said Jeff Earwood, architect at TMP. “This is truly a building in which the citizens of Tennessee can take pride.”

The goal of the design team was to provide a healthy indoor work environment for occupants, reduce the use of potable water and save as much energy as possible. Ample use of daylight reduced the number of light fixtures required, a geothermal HVAC system uses the cooling and warming capabilities of the earth to condition indoor air and photovoltaic panels produce 2.5 percent of the energy needed to operate the facility. These three strategies combine to reduce energy demand by 43 percent when compared to typical code requirements.

The design team focused on specifying local or regional materials, many of which contained high-recycled content. These were used throughout the interior and exterior of the building, reflecting the local region, promoting the local economy, and reducing the environmental impact of transporting supplies to the construction site.

The project exceeded LEED requirements for stormwater quantity and quality treatment by using various bioswales and raingardens across the site to promote infiltration and treat runoff by capturing pollutants before they entered local waterways.

The Upper Cumberland Regional Health Facility is also a recent recipient of a Green Star Award, the leading green awards for projects designed or built in Middle Tennessee.

A Tennessee-based team provided the design for the facility. I.C. Thomasson & Associates (Nashville) provided the mechanical, plumbing, and electrical design; Upland Design Group (Crossville) provided the civil engineering design; Logan Patri Engineers, Inc. (Nashville) provided the structural engineering design; and Heibert & Associates (Franklin) provided the landscape architectural design.

Photo by Rion Rizzo