Green Initiative

Austin Commercial is also known for its green projects including the McKinney Green Building and the Texas Instruments Richardson Fabrication (RFAB) facility. The McKinney Green Building (pictured at right), a West World Holding building, was the first privately owned and developed building in the U.S. to receive a LEED® Core and Shell Platinum Pre-Certification rating. Among the many sustainable design elements incorporated into the building is a feature that uses captured rainwater for irrigation and a heating/cooling system that uses the ground to absorb and dissipate heat energy. The building uses 60 percent less energy than a typical office building.

In 2004, Texas Instruments (TI) embarked on an ambitious project to build the world’s first sustainable LEED certified semiconductor manufacturing facility in an effort to reduce construction and operating costs and the company’s impact on the environment. Austin Commercial’s design-build team implemented LEED principles to guide design and development and reduce costs and environmental impact. Because of their efforts, the facility was built for an estimated 30 percent less per square foot than a TI facility built 10 years earlier. TI’s RFAB has lower emissions and uses less water, energy and materials than similar buildings.