By Healthcare Facilities Today

Through early decision-making and focused goals, the Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans Center in Durham, N.C., has become the first building on the Duke University medical center campus to receive LEED Gold certification, according to an article on the Healthcare Construction + Operations magazine website.

Designed by S/L/A/M Collaborative with Duda Paine Architects, the 115,000-square-foot building was initially planned to achieve LEED Silver. However, the $53 million building was granted 98 percent of the total attempted points for LEED Gold certification.

The six-story medical education facility, the first new medical building on the campus in 80 years, mimics the joining hospital. 

“We created simulation labs and clinical skill labs directly set up and oriented exactly the way the patient rooms are in the hospital next door,” Ray Weaver, project manager with S/L/A/M said. “What the students are learning in is the exact same environment they will be performing in.”

The building, which connects to the 924-bed Duke University Medical Center, features a pedestrian pathway surrounding the building to enhance the outdoor environment. The building hosts several outdoor study areas and the fourth floor contains an outdoor student lounge, according to the article.

A terraced rain garden that captures stormwater run-off is both a functional and aesthetic addition to the building.

“It’s an example of utilizing the stormwater design for not only dealing with stormwater but also a very beautiful and articulated space that people can use and coexist with it,” Greg Bergmiller, LEED AP, sustainable design coordinator with S/L/A/M, said in the article.

Read the article.