Genzyme Center Earns Highest Environmental Rating From U.S. Green Building Council

Published 09-09-05

Submitted by Genzyme Corporation

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Genzyme Corp. (Nasdaq: GENZ) announced today that its world headquarters building, Genzyme Center, has received the highest rating issued by the U.S. Green Building Council, the nation's foremost authority on environmentally responsible building practices. Genzyme Center earned a Platinum certification under the Council's LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System, which was created to define "green" building by providing a common standard of measurement.

Genzyme Center is the largest corporate office building to earn the Platinum certification and one of only 13 buildings ever to receive this rating. More than 2,100 building projects have been registered for certification since the LEED rating system was created five years ago, and approximately 260 buildings have earned one of four certification levels (Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Certified).

"The Platinum certification confirms Genzyme Center's status as one of the most environmentally responsible buildings in the country," said Rich Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair of the U.S. Green Building Council. "This is a truly special building that has generated a great deal of interest for its innovation, its striking design and its progressive approach to the workplace."

To receive the Platinum designation, Genzyme Center earned 52 points by meeting or exceeding rigorous standards in five broad categories: sustainable site development, water savings, energy and atmosphere, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.

Genzyme Center formally opened in 2004, and its first year of operation was marked by a number of highlights:

58 percent of employees who work in Genzyme Center said that they were more productive in the building than they had been in the company's former headquarters building.

Genzyme Center employees recorded sick time at a rate that was 5 percent lower than the combined rate for employees working at all other Genzyme facilities in Massachusetts.

These results are consistent with published studies linking improved indoor quality with increases in employee productivity and health. Genzyme continues to explore ways of evaluating the impact of its headquarters building on employee productivity, retention, recruitment and health.

The building's energy costs were estimated to be 42 percent less than those of a comparable conventional building, and its water usage was estimated to be 34 percent less than that of a conventional building. Genzyme continues to make adjustments to maximize the building's efficiency and will continue to measure the building's operating performance over time.

More than 5,000 people toured Genzyme Center, including architects, engineers, builders, government officials, academics, students, physicians and patients.

The building received awards from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Energy, the American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment, the Royal Institute of British Architects, the Association of General Contractors, the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association and the Environmental Business Council of New England.

"Creating a green building--one that sets new standards--is consistent with what we do every day as a corporation," said Henri A. Termeer, Genzyme's chairman and chief executive officer. "Genzyme Center is consistent with our purpose, and our purpose is to innovate to create new standards of care for patients who have untreatable diseases."

A virtual tour of Genzyme Center, photos, and other materials are available on Genzyme's Web site: http://www.genzyme.com/genzctr/genzctr_home.asp.

About Genzyme Center

Designed by the Stuttgart, Germany-, and Los Angeles-based architecture firm Behnisch, Behnisch & Partner, Genzyme Center is a twelve-story, 350,000-square-foot building located in the Kendall Square neighborhood of Cambridge, Massachusetts, a world-class center for biomedical research and innovation. Situated on the former site of an industrial plant, the building is helping to transform a polluted "brownfield" into a vital urban community.

A striking glass exterior and soaring central atrium allow natural light to flood the interior of Genzyme Center, creating an exceptional working environment for employees and significantly reducing the need for artificial light. Daylight is distributed within the building through a natural-light-enhancement system. On the roof, sophisticated mirrors called heliostats track the path of the sun and help direct light inside. A chandelier made of prismatic tiles casts sunlight entering the atrium into the surrounding workspaces. Reflective panels, a "light wall" made of polished aluminum strips, and the surface of a reflecting pool further enhance the flow of light. Along the glass exterior, computer-controlled blinds automatically track the sun's position and open to desired angles to let light in while deflecting heat and glare.

Genzyme Center's energy efficiency results from the building's extensive use of natural light, concrete construction, the use of waste steam from a nearby power plant for cooling and heating, and an insulating second layer of glass covering one-third of the exterior. The installation of highly efficient plumbing is helping to reduce water usage.

Genzyme Center's design enhances communication by encouraging informal meetings in the building's common spaces, garden areas, and in the top-floor cafeteria with its sweeping views of the Boston cityscape. Various terraces, corners and walkways are furnished to encourage spontaneous conversations. Offices are kept small, while the amount of common space per employee is significantly greater than in a typical U.S. office building. These features help foster a higher level of interaction, collaboration, and creativity. Employees enjoy abundant natural light, windows that open, and the ability to control workspace temperature and light levels. Most have direct views to the outdoors from their offices or workspaces. Eighteen gardens located throughout the building help bring the outdoors in.

Nearly 75 percent of the materials used in Genzyme Center contain recycled content, and over 90 percent of construction waste was recycled.

About Genzyme

One of the world's leading biotechnology companies, Genzyme is dedicated to making a major positive impact on the lives of people with serious diseases. Founded in 1981, Genzyme has grown from a small start-up to a diversified enterprise with 2004 revenues of $2.2 billion and more than 7,600 employees in locations spanning the globe. With many established products and services helping patients in more than 80 countries, Genzyme is a leader in the effort to develop and apply the most advanced technologies in the life sciences. The company's products and services are focused on rare inherited disorders, kidney disease, orthopedics, cancer, transplant and immune diseases, and diagnostic testing. Genzyme's commitment to innovation continues today with a substantial development program focused on these fields, as well as heart disease and other areas of unmet medical need.

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Genzyme's press releases and other company information are available at www.genzyme.com and by calling Genzyme's investor information line at 1-800-905-4369 within the United States or 1-703-797-1866 outside the United States.

Genzyme Corporation

One of the world's leading biotechnology companies, Genzyme is dedicated to making a major positive impact on the lives of people with serious diseases. This year marks the 25th anniversary of Genzyme's founding. Since 1981, the company has grown from a small start-up to a diversified enterprise with more than 8,000 employees in locations spanning the globe and 2005 revenues of $2.7 billion. Genzyme has been selected by FORTUNE as one of the "100 Best Companies to Work for" in the United States. With many established products and services helping patients in more than 80 countries, Genzyme is a leader in the effort to develop and apply the most advanced technologies in the life sciences. The company's products and services are focused on rare inherited disorders, kidney disease, orthopaedics, cancer, transplant and immune diseases, and diagnostic testing. Genzyme's commitment to innovation continues today with a substantial development program focused on these fields, as well as heart disease and other areas of unmet medical need.

Genzyme Center Earns Highest Environmental Rating From U.S. Green Building Council

Genzyme Center Earns Highest Environmental Rating From U.S. Green Building Council

Genzyme Corporation

Genzyme Corporation

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