The Prairie Med building, a 39,000-square-foot state-of-the-art medical office and research facility, recently became the first building in Illinois to be awarded two green certifications. It earned both a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver certification by the U.S. Green Building Council and a Three Green Globe sustainable certification from the Green Building Initiative.
The building, which is the 16th building in the United States to earn dual green certifications, excels in all facets of green design and construction. Multiple bioretention, or biofilter, strategies were employed to remove pollution from surface runoff water, including micropools, bioswales, and rain and community gardens.
The two-story building uses 21 percent less water thanks to low flow fixtures and native landscaping that does not require an irrigation system. A 20 to 30 percent increase in energy efficiency was realized by thoroughly insulating the building beyond basic code. Daylighting allows 95 percent of the regularly occupied spaces to have access to exterior views. While being built, more than 75 percent of the construction waste was diverted from the landfill through a proactive waste management plan and more than 90 percent of the wood on the project was harvested from sustainable forests.
“The Prairie Medical Building is a great example of the success possible in the sustainable design and construction of a unique specialized medical and scientific care center,” according to the assessment by the Green Building Initiative.
SJS Prairie Med LLC developed the project with Partners in Design Architects as the architect and Leopardo Companies as the contractor.
