RTKL Celebrates Earth Day with Annual Sustainability Report Receives Prestigious AIA Green Design Award
Reflecting the firm’s core mission, SAMMC named among the 2015 AIA COTE “Top Ten Green Projects”
WASHINGTON, D.C—April 22, 2015— This Earth Day, RTKL, the global architecture and urban design practice, announces two major achievements that demonstrate the firm’s commitment to making the world a better, more sustainable place. The firm released its second annual 2014 RTKL Sustainability Report, an evaluation of how RTKL continues to drive sustainability and higher performance across its global portfolio. Additionally, the RTKL–designed San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC) in Ft. Sam Houston, TX, has been selected as one of the 2015 “Top Ten Green Projects” by the American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment (AIA COTE). The building industry’s premier awards program for sustainable design, Top Ten honors leading-edge projects that demonstrate the integration of design excellence and environmental performance.
“With approximately 50 million square feet of projects every year, RTKL continues to make a significant impact on the built environment,” said Lance Hosey, FAIA, LEED BD+C, RTKL’s Chief Sustainability Officer. “With that large a footprint comes a significant obligation and opportunity to maximize the social, economic and environmental value of our work and encourage wider adoption of green building practices.”
RTKL’s 2014 Sustainability Report demonstrates its commitment to Performance-Driven DesignSM, the firm’s strategy to improve the value of the built environment. The report also highlights the firm’s adoption and progress toward green building market standards. In the past year alone, RTKL has more than doubled the number of LEED-accredited professionals and nearly doubled the volume of projects adopting third-party green standards. In addition, RTKL has significantly increased the number of projects pursuing net-zero energy and other high-performance targets. Furthermore, in looking toward the future with Callison and RTKL coming together as one of a handful of the world’s largest design companies, we now have an even greater responsibility and opportunity to ensure that our work has a positive impact. Next year’s report will combine the talents of both entities in the hopes of encouraging greater transparency among other companies.
SAMMC’s Top Ten award is the latest example of RTKL’s efforts to improve the performance of its work.
“As stewards of high-performance building design, it is a great honor to be recognized by the industry for our sustainable design approach to SAMMC,” said Wayne Barger, AIA, LEED AP, senior vice president, RTKL. “A true testament to integrated design, SAMMC is the largest healthcare facility and first inpatient medical project to receive such a distinction by the COTE Top Ten Awards program.”
SAMMC is a state-of-the-art medical facility for inpatient and ambulatory care consisting of many centers of excellence, including the U.S. Department of Defense’s only Level 1 Trauma Center, its only American Burn Association verified burn unit and the world-famous Army Institute of Surgical Research. At nearly two-thirds the size of the previous facility, the 750,000-SF building addition creates a positive environment for healing while responding to solar orientation and environmental factors. Sustainable features include a terra-cotta mesh façade, trellis roof canopies, and native vegetation, resulting in 100% stormwater management on site and a 90% patient satisfaction rate.
SAMMC will be honored at the AIA 2015 National Convention and Design Exposition in Atlanta.
To view and download RTKL’s 2014 Sustainability report, click here.
For more information, please contact Misty Holbert at mholbert@rtkl.com.
About RTKL:
RTKL is a worldwide architecture, engineering, planning and creative services organization. Part of the ARCADIS global network since 2007, RTKL has over 1,000 employees in 14 offices around the globe and specializes in providing its multi-disciplinary services across the full development cycle. Our commitment to creating a better, more sustainable world is evident in our Performance-Driven Design ℠ strategy which aims to improve the economic, social and environmental value of the built environment. RTKL works with commercial, workplace, public and healthcare clients to create places of distinction and designs of lasting value. Please visit www.rtkl.com
About ARCADIS:
ARCADIS is the leading global natural and built asset design and consultancy firm working in partnership with our clients to deliver exceptional and sustainable outcomes through the application of design, consultancy, engineering, project and management services. ARCADIS differentiates through its talented and passionate people and its unique combination of capabilities covering the whole asset life cycle, its deep market sector insights and its ability to integrate health & safety and sustainability into the design and delivery of solutions across the globe. We are 22,000 people that generate €2.5 billion in revenues. We support UN-Habitat with knowledge and expertise to improve the quality of life in rapidly growing cities around the world. Please visit: www.arcadis.com
