TI Receives LEED Gold Certification for Sugar Land Design Center in Texas

Texas Instruments (TI) Incorporated today announced the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has awarded a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification to TI's new design center in Sugar Land, Texas, near Houston.

The award distinguishes the site as Sugar Land's largest LEED-certified facility. TI's design center is also the first building in the city to achieve Gold certification under LEED version 3.

"The LEED Gold certification is a validation of TI's commitment to environmental stewardship and to the health of the communities where it operates," said David Thomas, vice president of worldwide facilities. "The Sugar Land facility was designed from the ground up to provide a great place to work while minimizing environmental impact."

Some of the site's sustainable design and construction features, which helped win the award, include:

Sustainable Sites

• The site uses a highly reflective roof and pavement to reduce urban heat buildup
• Exterior lighting is LED and dark sky compliant to reduce energy use and light pollution
• Alternative transportation is accommodated with bicycle parking and showers and electric vehicle (EV) charging stations

Water Efficiency

• Native and adapted landscaping to reduce irrigation requirements
• Efficient indoor plumbing fixtures and irrigation system to reduce water consumption

Energy and Atmosphere

• The building shell and systems are designed for efficiency to reduce energy use
• Refrigerants and fire suppression systems minimize the use of ozone depleting substances

Materials and Resources

• More than 27 percent of the materials in the building were made from recycled content, and 50 percent of all construction materials were locally produced
• More than 91 percent of the construction waste was diverted from the landfill through reuse or recycling

Indoor Environmental Quality

• Low-emitting materials such as paints, adhesives, sealants and carpet were used to minimize off-gassing and provide for better indoor air quality
• Indoors, natural day lighting is used where possible, and efficient lights with sensors and controls meet additional lighting needs efficiently

TI began using LEED rating systems to guide continuing improvements for construction and sustainability in the early 2000s and now operates over two million square feet of LEED-certified buildings around the world. In addition to the Sugar Land site, TI's LEED-certified buildings include:

• The Richardson, Texas wafer fabrication plant (RFAB), the world's first LEED-certified semiconductor manufacturing facility. RFAB received the LEED-New Construction (NC) Gold certification in 2004.
• Phase V of the Baguio, Philippines assembly/test facility, the first LEED-certified building in the Philippines. It received LEED-NC Silver in 2009.
• The Clark assembly/test facility in Pampanga, Philippines, the first facility in the Philippines to be awarded LEED-NC Gold, which it received in 2010.
• Santa Clara, California Building A, awarded LEED-CI (Commercial Interiors) Gold certification in 2012.

Developed by USGBC, LEED provides building owners and operators a concise framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.

The newly constructed 163,000 square foot facility is located directly across from the University of Houston-Sugar Land Campus. TI has had a presence in the Houston area for more than 50 years.