Genzyme’s Biologics Support Center Achieves LEED Gold Rating for Environmentally Responsible Design

Site is Genzyme’s Tenth LEED-Certified Green Building
May 14, 2012 1:00 PM ET
Campaign: Sanofi Genzyme

(3BL Media) Cambridge, MA - May 14, 2012 - Genzyme, a Sanofi company (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY), announced that its Biologics Support Center in Framingham, Mass., received a Gold certification under the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System™. This is the tenth Genzyme building to achieve a LEED rating for sustainable construction and design.

The Framingham Biologics Support Center is an administrative and lab building connected to Genzyme’s newly approved manufacturing facility that produces Fabrazyme® (agalsidase beta). The 186,000 square foot facility accommodates approximately 550 employees, including manufacturing, support, and administrative staff for the manufacturing plant.

“The achievement of ten LEED certifications demonstrates Genzyme’s ongoing dedication to pursuing and meeting high standards in every aspect of our business,” said Genzyme’s President and CEO David Meeker. “We are committed to being a responsible corporate citizen and a good neighbor in our communities.”

Biologics Support Center Features

LEED certification provides independent, third-party verification that a building was designed and built using strategies aimed at achieving high performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: energy efficiency, water savings, materials selection, sustainable site development, and indoor environmental quality. The Framingham Biologics Support Center was designed to achieve goals in each of these areas.

Energy Efficiency

  • 100 percent of the building’s electricity is provided by renewable sources
  • Energy cost savings of 27 percent were achieved through improved thermal envelope, high efficiency glazing, reduced lighting power density, occupancy sensors, boilers, fans, and a campus chiller

Water Savings

  • Installed irrigation system uses condensed water from the HVAC system
  • Potable water usage was reduced by 43 percent through low-flow fixtures

Materials Selection

  • Thirty percent of total building materials were manufactured using recycled materials, including structural steel, metal framing and panels, tile, and furniture
  • Project diverted 1,784 tons (approximately 90 percent) of on-site generated construction waste from landfill

Sustainable Site Development

  • Bicycle storage and shower/changing facilities
  • Two bus lines within 0.25 miles of the site and campus transportation
  • Stormwater management plan that captures and treats the stormwater runoff from at least 92 percent of the average annual rainfall
  • Erosion and sedimentation control plan

Indoor Environmental Quality

  • Air ventilation rates to all occupied spaces were increased by at least 30 percent above the minimum rates
  • All indoor adhesives, sealants, carpet, paint, and coating products comply with VOC limits and standards

About Genzyme’s Green Buildings

Genzyme’s green buildings program has long been a cornerstone element of the company’s energy savings and sustainability efforts. Genzyme’s flagship green building is Genzyme Center, which has been widely recognized as a symbol of innovative and environmentally responsible construction and as an anchor of an urban revitalization project in the Kendall Square neighborhood of Cambridge, Mass. Learn more at www.genzymecenter.com.

Over the past decade, Genzyme has continued to expand its green building program through constructing new environmentally friendly buildings and renovating existing buildings to make them more energy efficient. These green buildings played a key role in helping Genzyme achieve a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent per dollar of revenue. The company achieved this goal two years ahead of schedule and received a Climate Leadership Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the category “Excellence in Greenhouse Gas Management (Goal Achievement).”

Genzyme has achieved LEED ratings from the U.S. Green Building Council for many kinds of buildings, including labs, manufacturing sites, and office facilities. Genzyme’s LEED-certified buildings are listed below:

Building               Location               Certification               Year Certified  
Genzyme Center Headquarters               Cambridge, Mass.               Platinum – New Construction               2005  
675 West Kendall Offices               Cambridge, Mass.               Silver – Commercial Interior               2007  
Science Center               Framingham, Mass.               Gold – New Construction               2008  
Office Expansion               Ridgefield, N.J.               Gold – New Construction               2009  
Office Expansion for Manufacturing Facility               Allston, Mass.               Gold – New Construction               2010  
Office Expansion for Manufacturing Facility               Waterford, Ireland               Gold – New Construction               2010  
Office Building               San Antonio, Texas               Silver – Existing Building               2010  
Fourth Floor Fit-Out               Ridgefield, N.J.               Platinum – Commercial Interior               2011  
Distribution Center               Northborough, Mass.               Gold – Commercial Interior               2012  
Biologics Support Center               Framingham, Mass.               Gold – New Construction               2012  

About Genzyme, a Sanofi Company

Genzyme has pioneered the development and delivery of transformative therapies for patients affected by rare and debilitating diseases for over 30 years. We accomplish our goals through world-class research and with the compassion and commitment of our employees. With a focus on rare diseases and multiple sclerosis, we are dedicated to making a positive impact on the lives of the patients and families we serve. That goal guides and inspires us every day. Genzyme’s portfolio of transformative therapies, which are marketed in countries around the world, represents groundbreaking and life-saving advances in medicine. As a Sanofi company, Genzyme benefits from the reach and resources of one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies, with a shared commitment to improving the lives of patients. Learn more at www.genzyme.com.

Genzyme® and Fabrazyme® are registered trademarks of Genzyme Corporation. All rights reserved.

About Sanofi

Sanofi, a global and diversified healthcare leader, discovers, develops and distributes therapeutic solutions focused on patients’ needs. Sanofi has core strengths in the field of healthcare with seven growth platforms: diabetes solutions, human vaccines, innovative drugs, consumer healthcare, emerging markets, animal health and the new Genzyme. Sanofi is listed in Paris (EURONEXT: SAN) and in New York (NYSE: SNY).