VETERINARY ORTHOPEDIC CENTER
A SUSTAINABLE MODEL
The Veterinary Orthopedic Center (VOC) is a 100% electric, carbon-free facility that serves as the key anchor to The Cardinal Campus of Highland, a new professional office development that achieved LEED for Neighborhood Development certification. The owner’s ambitious vision: showcase the most sustainable design principles and technologies available, making the campus, beginning with the VOC, a model for future development.
The building utilizes every available inch of rooftop area for solar panels, even designing large canopies to further expand its capacity. To showcase the use of solar PV technology, the canopy is designed with cut-outs where transparent panels are visible from below, making them a kind of architectural ornamentation—a form of ”environmental expressionism.”
To ensure high-efficiency and high-quality interior air quality, the vet clinic uses an extremely high-performing and energy-efficient variable refrigerant flow (VRF) HVAC system. The building’s centrally located open stair entices occupants to bypass the elevator and use human power to circulate between floors, saving energy, improving health, and providing an overall more pleasant indoor environment.
Rooftop stormwater is directed to the landscaping via ornamental downspouts—celebrating and highlighting what is typically an invisible and unappreciated aspect of engineering. The exterior lighting is designed to reduce light pollution and, in its integration with the building façade design, create a more beautiful and pedestrian-oriented environment.
The project aims to become a “pilgrimage site” for those interested in sustainable development in the Northwest Indiana region. The lobby includes a large poster outlining the sustainable features of the facility, and features sustainability tour brochures.
Client: GC Indiana Holdings LLC
Location: Highland, IN
Year: 2019
Certifications:
LEED-NC Platinum (Veterinary Orthopedic Clinic Building)
LEED-ND (Cardinal Campus development)
Awards:
2019 USGBC Indiana Green Building Merit Award (Veterinary Orthopedic Clinic Building)
