UW Health Yahara Clinic Receives LEED Certification

• Care was taken to preserve and protect the adjoining natural wetlands. A detention pond captures storm water runoff; the water is then filtered through native grasses before returning to the wetlands.
• Landscaping emphasizes native plants that will thrive without irrigation. No permanent irrigation system was installed.
• Exterior light fixtures keep light focused downward – promoting safety for patients and staff and preventing the “skyglow” light pollution that can be harmful to wildlife.
• Overhead interior lights automatically dim on bright days. Task lighting in individual work areas allows employees to customize lighting to their needs and preferences.
• Pressure-assisted toilets reduce water consumption.
• 30.3 percent of the total building materials content (based on value) was manufactured using recycled materials. This includes steel framing, concrete, drywall, carpeting, asphalt and fiber cement siding.
• 70 percent – or 86.35 tons – of on-site generated construction waste was diverted from landfills. This included drywall, asphalt and steel.
• 28.04 percent of building materials used (based on value) were manufactured or extracted within 500 miles of the building site.

Advancing LEED Standards

The project team also contributed to research being conducted by the USGBC by sharing with the organization additional details about the building materials used. That real-world information will be used in developing the next generation of LEED standards.

“The USGBC is moving toward standards that are based on lifecycle assessment methodology, in which they look at the cradle-to-grave environmental impact of building materials, from the extraction of the raw materials to manufacturing, installation, use and eventual demolition and disposal,” Tendler said. “It’s a more scientifically rigorous assessment and a more balanced, holistic approach that provides a truer picture of a product’s impact.”

Kahler Slater’s Second LEED-certified Facility for UW Medical Foundation

The UW Health Yahara Clinic is the second LEED-certified clinic that Kahler Slater has designed for the UW Medical Foundation. The UW Health Stoughton clinic in Stoughton, Wis. received LEED Silver certification in May 2010, becoming the first health care facility in Wisconsin to be awarded LEED Silver certification.

About Kahler Slater

Founded in 1908, Milwaukee-based Kahler Slater began as a regional provider of architecture and interior design services and has grown to become a global, award-winning team of Experience Designers. With three offices in the United States and Singapore, Kahler Slater is a team of creative problem-solvers who work with visionary clients seeking better experiences and environments for themselves and the people they serve. Follow Kahler Slater online at www.kahlerslater.com and on Twitter at @KAHLERSLATER.