Legacy Tower Achieves LEED Gold and Environmental Star of Excellence

“We are pleased to have delivered a product with a level of design and construction materials that we believe are unmatched in Legacy Business Park,” said Jeff DeBruin, Principal for Trammell Crow Company’s Dallas/Fort Worth Business Unit. “Achieving a highly sustainable office tower was a key goal for our design team from the outset of the project. Our main focus was on water, energy and materials conservation.”

The office tower, which features 342,033 square feet of Class AA space, is located at the southeast corner of the Dallas North Tollway and Legacy Drive, is designed to achieve an energy reduction more than 26 percent improvement compared to the ASHRAE 90.1 – 2007 criteria. This was accomplished through the HVAC systems, lighting systems and the performance of the thermal envelope. For example, the project employs a Variable Frequency Drive on all pumps, fan motors and water-side economizers to allow for free cooling on colder days. Heat generated from artificial lighting was minimized by reducing general lighting densities and providing systems that offer tenants the opportunity to install daylight harvesting systems and occupancy sensors. Finally, the window-to-wall ratio was optimized along with double-glazed windows with a low solar heat gain to help reduce heat gain in the summer months.

The location provides occupants the benefit of the public transit system, which has multiple stops near the site, and a multi-level parking garage that offers discounts to those driving fuel-efficient vehicles. In efforts to create an inviting landscape and conserve water without having a negative impact on the local clean water supply, a cistern that captures the condensate water was installed to handle all landscape irrigation in addition to installing low-flow water fixtures and faucets with sensors in the office building.

Through careful monitoring of waste removal, more than 80 percent of the construction waste, including the demolition of the previous building, was prevented from entering landfills. Additionally, the team reviewed materials for a healthy breathing environment, products that utilized recycled content, and for products that were sourced and manufactured within the region.

“Sustainability was a key component in the design and construction of Legacy Tower,” said Owen McCrory with HKS. “The combination of the location, water reuse and reducing strategies, efficient energy design and sustainable materials provided the possibility for a LEED Gold facility. The energy reducing strategies helped reduce greenhouse gases by 52 percent as compared to similar type existing facilities. Tenants will enjoy a healthy, energetic environment along with reduced energy and water demands.”