Ronald McDonald House of Austin Attains LEED Platinum

The Ronald McDonald House of Austin and Central Texas has received LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The 28,500-sf Ronald McDonald House, which opened in December 2007, provides a nurturing environment where families stay together while their children receive treatment in Austin-area medical centers. Built on a brownfield site, the House has 30 guest rooms, multi-use common areas, and administrative offices. The facility incorporates three Hydrotech green roof systems, all of which contain native, drought-tolerant plant species. These green roofs and the use of high albedo concrete reduce heat island effect throughout the site. The House also has a 10.8 kilowatt (kW) solar array on the rooftop, which was donated and funded by Green Mountain Energy Company and Austin Energy. Consisting of 54 photovoltaic solar panels and covering nearly 950 square feet of roof space, the array will power at least half of the rooms in the House with solar energy. It will also minimize emission of harmful greenhouse gases, offsetting more than 30,000 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) annually. The project team included Eckols & Associates as architect, The Beck Group as general contractor, and landscape architect and sustainable design consultant TBG.