DALLAS, Texas – The building commonly known as the Baylor Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center in Dallas, Texas, developed and managed by Duke Realty, has earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star certification. The designation signifies that the building performs in the top 25 percent of similar facilities nationwide for energy efficiency and meets strict energy efficiency performance levels set by the EPA.

“The Baylor Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center is pleased to accept EPA’s Energy Star certification in recognition of our energy efficiency efforts,” says Wes Huff, vice president of Real Estate for Baylor Health Care System. “We are proud that our healthcare campus is providing the highest quality medical care to the community and receiving this type of recognition. Through this achievement, we have demonstrated our commitment to environmental stewardship and to maximizing energy efficiency.”

Commercial buildings that earn EPA’s Energy Star certification use an average of 35 percent less energy than typical buildings and also release an average of 35 percent less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Duke Realty executives noted that through all stages of facility development, from groundbreaking through construction and operation, they planned and incorporated Energy Star standards and managed energy strategically across the entire organization.

“When we developed our project goals and budget, we were determined to achieve the highest level of energy efficiency,” says Don Dunbar, executive vice president, Duke Realty. “By careful early planning and using an integrated design process with all design and construction team members, we were able to achieve Energy Star certification with no increase in the budget. We are delighted to have earned this prestigious recognition for the high-performance, green Baylor Cancer Center.”

The $154-million, 459,717-square-foot Baylor Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center, located at on the Baylor University Medical Center, is the largest cancer care facility in North Texas. The building earned Energy Star distinction after the project team submitted a detailed application outlining a variety of energy efficiency, environmental quality and sustainable strategies required for certification. Some of the strategy highlights included:

• The cancer center is 14 percent more energy efficient than required by commercial building energy codes.
• The facility uses 30 percent less water than the EPA’s baseline requirements.
• The facility used more than 90 percent green power during construction.
• Twenty-one percent of the building’s core and shell was made of recycled materials.
• The facility features low volatile organic compound emitting materials, including wallpaper, carpet and adhesives for floor tiles. High exposure to VOCs can cause adverse health effects.
• The cancer center incorporates design elements, including underground parking and a white roof, to reduce urban heat island effects, such as decreased air and water quality.
• More than 95 percent (14.4 million pounds) of construction waste material was recycled.
• Fifty-one percent of the construction materials were shipped from within 500 miles of the jobsite, which reduced the impact on the environment from lower vehicle emissions and promoted the regional economy.

The 10-story Baylor Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center is anchored by Baylor Health Care System-affiliated providers and Texas Oncology and houses a dedicated radiation oncology wing with four linear accelerators, as well as a diagnostic imaging center with MR, PET and CT scanners. It also includes an outpatient clinic and urgent care center; oncology, breast oncology, multi-disciplinary and transplant clinics; infusion therapy and bone marrow transplant areas and space for research and clinical trials.

The cancer center, which was completed in March 2011, was a joint venture of Duke Realty and Milwaukee, Wis.-based Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. Inc. The general contractor was Dallas, Texas-based MEDCO Construction L.L.C. and the architect was the Dallas office of Perkins+Will.