Texas is generally known for all things big, and
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) is adding to the list with its Lone Star campus in Austin. The company received a LEED Gold rating for the location, which is the largest corporate campus to be certified in Texas, the company reports.
"From the inception of the Lone Star project, AMD sought to set the standard for responsible development, and this award recognizes AMD’s Austin campus as one of the greenest corporate facilities in the U.S.," said Allyson Peerman, AMD's vice president of public affairs, in a prepared statement.
The 870,000 square foot campus features landscaping with all native plants, a rainwater collection system and in addition to other sustainable builiding materials, the company reports it recycled three-quarters of all construction wastes.
According to Hari J. Krishna, P.E., executive vice president of International Rainwater Catchment Systems Association, AMD's is the largest roof water collection system in the world, with a capacity of more than 1.2 million gallons.
The company will see more than half a million dollars in annual energy savings -- or nearly 20 percent of a baseline building -- reports David Douthit, an energy modeler with Michael E. James & Associates, the civil engineers on the project. These savings are due in part to efficient lighting, heating and cooling methods, in addition to "proper building orientation," Douthit said.
Furthermore, AMD is powering the facility with 100 percent renewable power, thanks to the
Austin Energy's GreenChoice program.
Employees of AMD will also reap the benefits of the green design, including recycling and composting stations, improved indoor air quality through ventilation systems, and the ability to control the temperature in each office.
If an eco-friendly work space wasn't enough for employees, the company reports it chose the location on 7171 Southwest Parkway after carrying out "an exhausitve traffic analysis" in order to reduce the total number of miles traveled to and from work.
The company opened the campus in late 2008, according to the company's website and was recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency that same year, receiving the corporate Climate Protection Award, due in part to the highly efficient Lone Star facility.
Images courtesy of landscape architecture and planning firm TBG Partners.
