Project category: New construction (completed November 2005)

Chief administrator: Deborah L. Gant, MD, FAAP, (281) 484-0839

Firm: Browne Penland McGregor Stephens Architects, (713) 599-9928

Design team: Jim McGregor, AIA, LEED AP, Project Designer (Browne Penland McGregor Stephens Architects); Randy Curry, PE, LEED AP, Principal (DBR Engineering Consultants); Larry Rennell, PE, LEED AP, Principal (Rennell Associates); Saad Ahmed, PE, President (ASA Consulting Engineers, Inc.); John Lejsal, Project Manager (Farnsworth & Lott)

Photography: Jud Haggard

Total building area (sq. ft.): 10,387

Construction cost/sq. ft.: $134

Total construction cost (excluding land): $1,386,928


The goals of this project were to provide a holistic and healthy workplace and clinic and to promote environmental responsibility through the construction of Pearland Pediatrics, a sustainable project.

The single-story, limestone-clad, tilt-wall concrete building is 10,387 square feet with pediatric clinic space. This is the first privately owned, LEED-certified healthcare facility in Texas, certified in July 2006. The design team incorporated energy efficiency and limited indoor air pollution into the original goal of using natural daylight and preserving large oak trees. To further the owner’s goal of a strong indoor/outdoor connection, the design team chose reflective roofing elements. To conserve energy, glazing transoms and insulated glazing window panes were used to reject heat while letting in light. To help reduce waste, water-saving fixtures and dual-flush systems were installed. All materials were found within 500 miles of the project. The entire interior is illuminated by natural daylight. The owners noticed that energy consumption and costs were halved in the new clinic from the beginning.

Indoor-air quality is maintained by using low-emitting materials. Mechanical ventilation and CO2-monitoring systems minimize exposure to hazardous indoor particulates and chemical pollutants.

Large oak trees help cool the area, and the concrete is highly reflective. Permeable paving is used to reduce detention, as well as to preserve the trees on the site.

Rapidly renewable resources such as glass fiber and linoleum were used. Local resources such as split-faced limestone masonry block and fly ash concrete were used.