Dell Seton Medical Center at The University of Texas at Austin, a project of Medxcel and Ascension, has received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold and a 4-Star Austin Energy Green Building rating for its green design and construction methods.

Dell Seton, a 517,000-square-foot facility in Austin, Texas, opened in May 2017. The facility has 13 operating rooms and 211 beds. It anchors a new health care innovation zone in downtown Austin that subscribes to sustainability as a core value.

“We are extremely proud of this achievement,” said Michael Argir, CEO and president of Medxcel. “As an organization focused on environmental stewardship, we consistently seek out new opportunities to sustain and improve the communities we serve. It’s challenging to achieve LEED certification in health care, and Dell Seton accomplishes this monumental feat while supporting both patient healing and the education of future health care practitioners.”

Dell Seton continues Ascension’s legacy of green building leadership, and is the third LEED certification for Ascension Texas. Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas previously received two LEED Platinum certifications. Ascension also holds two Austin Energy Green Building five-star projects. In the program’s 26-year history, only six commercial projects have been awarded five-stars.

Medxcel collaborated with Dell Seton in striving for energy efficiency and resilience. The facility incorporates renewably generated electricity and energy-efficient mechanical equipment. Chilled and hot water come from the university’s district thermal energy grid, connecting to the Performance Excellence in Electricity Renewal(PEER) plant. Additionally, all lighting in the facility is LED, while heating, cooling and lighting controls are integrated with the patient admissions system. The project specified and installed energy-using equipment that is 24 percent less greenhouse gas intensive than the standard facility.

The hospital is part of The University of Texas at Austin’s (UT) SITES-certified campus. The Sustainable SITES Initiative (SITES) is the most comprehensive program for designing, developing and maintaining sustainable landscapes. The hospital is also serviced by UT’s PEER-certified power system. PEER is the world’s first certification program that measures and improves power system performance. UT was the first university to achieve certification. A University of Texas Medical District plaque ceremony was held Tuesday, March 27, at the hospital to recognize four LEED-certified buildings in the district; an Austin Energy Green Building rating for the hospital; and the SITES and PEER certifications for the UT campus. Before the ceremony, guests toured the landscape features and other elements of the SITES project, as well as the central plant, the energy tie-in to the university, and PEER-certified elements.