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Pelican Press June 15th, 2011
When it opened last fall, the Cancer Support Community Florida Suncoast's new facility turned heads with unique architectural elements like the reclaimed 150-year-old Florida pine entry pillars and environmentally friendly building design. The 11,142-square-foot building nestled on 2.2 acres of landscaped grounds surrounded by a nature preserve is home to a unique mission: providing free psycho-social support services to anyone affected by cancer. Now the Sarasota nonprofit and those it serves have new cause for celebration: The building is the first health facility in Sarasota County to earn LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.
"Facilities where health and healing occur are some of the most important construction types to benefit from green building design," said Rick Fedrizzi, president of the U.S. Green Building Council. "Green buildings seek to reduce use of and exposure to toxic chemicals. For cancer patients with compromised immune systems, that means a healthier environment for healing."
Carlson Studio Architecture and Willis A. Smith Construction Inc., the design-build team for the first-of-its-kind facility, hosted a LEED Dedication Ceremony to formally recognize the Cancer Support Community's accomplishment on Monday, June 13. Representatives from USGBC's Florida Gulf Coast Chapter were to be present to preside at the event. The ceremony was open to the public, and building tours were available.
"The Cancer Support Community board and staff demonstrated extraordinary dedication and perseverance to sustainability goals as well as adherence to best practice, evidence-based design standards throughout the process. Their commitment to doing what was in the best interest of their mission and the people they serve was not only inspiring to the design team, but kept us all focused on creating an optimum environment where hope and healing could occur," said U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Florida Gulf Coast President Michael Carlson of Carlson Studio Architecture.
LEED is an internationally recognized third-party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council in 2000, LEED serves as a tool for buildings of all types and sizes. LEED certification offers third-party validation of a project's green features and verifies that the building is operating to objective design standards. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.
The Cancer Support Community's $6.1 million project on a five-acre site just east of Interstate 75 in Lakewood Ranch is designed to be an optimal healing environment, combining healthful materials, art, design and nature in a "green" facility to support people whose immune systems often have been compromised.
The facility was financed through philanthropic donations and grants. "Our community should take great pride in this model facility and in the extraordinary generosity of local donors and foundations during a very difficult period," said Alfred Rose, campaign chair.
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