Cardinal Campus

A Potent Synergy: Indiana’s First LEED-ND Certified Project

The Cardinal Campus of Highland, Indiana is the brainchild of renowned veterinary surgeon Dr. Claude Gendreau, a leader willing to translate his views about the direction the world should go into immediate action. In 2011 Dr. Gendreau wrote What You Must Do For Your Country which clearly laid out the urgency of the climate crisis and a path to decarbonization through sustainable development. Then he decided to put his money where his mouth is by developing a high-performance, carbon-free office and hotel district. 

The 10-acre Cardinal Campus is emerging as Northwest Indiana’s premiere business development as well as the region’s most sustainable development.

Client: GC Indiana Holdings LLC

Location: Highland, IN

Role: Architect of Record, Master Planning

Size: 10 acres

Completion: 2019 (Phase 1)

Construction Cost: Undisclosed

  • 100% Carbon-Free

    Rooftop Photovoltaic Panels

    Stormwater Management

    Permeable Paving

  • LEED-Neighborhood Development

  • A Potent Synergy

    The master plan features a single through-street that connects two adjacent streets that “T” into the site. The pervious-brick-paved “stormwater street” is the organizing spine for seven two-story Class-A office buildings totaling 130,000 square feet, a 3-story boutique hotel and gardens, and the beautifully landscaped ”Fountain Square.”

  • From Roof to Root

    Stormwater is celebrated across the site in various ways: all the streets and parking lots feature pervious pavers, the path of rainwater from “roof to root” is designed to delight the senses, including cardinal-inspired scuppers and cross-sidewalk runnels leading to bioswales. Native species chosen to thrive with the flow of water create sustainable microhabitats.

  • LEED-NC Platinum Vet Clinic

    The anchor building, a LEED-NC Platinum veterinary surgical facility, establishes the level of specifications for the remaining buildings. Building scale sustainable design features include renewable electricity provided by rooftop photovoltaic arrays, and high-performance mechanical systems and building design.