CAMDEN, NJ—When Cooper University Health Care topped off its new 103,050-square-foot cancer facility in Camden, NJ, workers laid a final beam with the inscription “Building Hope.” Beyond providing hope through cutting-edge care and discoveries for those stricken with cancer, the MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper was built to create hope for the environment.

The center has been recognized by the US Green Building Council's New Jersey Chapter for setting a new standard for sustainability among health care facilities. The project received USGBC-NJ's Emerald Award earlier this month.

Built on three acres of previously contaminated brownfield, the MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper was designed by Langan Engineering and planned by project architect and LEED® coordinator Francis Cauffman. Partners Engineering & Science performed the mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering. The goal was for the building to perform 18% above base code energy requirements. Unique and innovative features include:

• Carefully graded pedestrian paths accessible by all people on site and connected to adjacent campus amenities and mass transit
• Night-sky friendly, energy-efficient lighting that provides enough light for safety while meeting LEED® goals and lowering energy consumption
• Sustainable stormwater management systems that incorporate landscape areas and engineered systems for cleansing and infiltration that exceed local and state water-quality requirements
• Lush landscaping, including plantings in beds and pavings specially designed to minimize rooftop loading while creating a green, calming environment
• Redevelopment of a contaminated site through innovative approaches to soil reuse and removal of underground tanks

In addition to energy reduction and environmental remediation, the team of designers and planners also focused on indoor air quality in order to provide the optimal environment for patients with compromised immune systems, as well as for their families and the facility staff. This meant eliminating or minimizing human exposure to various chemicals by:

• Designing the ventilation system to a more stringent code than ASHRAE 62.1
• Monitoring outdoor air intake for pollutants
• Specifying low-emitting materials for all adhesives, paints, flooring and composite wood products
• Developing and enforcing a construction IAQ management plan

Finally, the team left a percentage of the building as shell space to provide maximum flexibility for future fit-outs and so those projects would require minimal disruption to center operations and the environment.