United Therapeutics’ Commitment to Sustainability is a Talent Magnet for
Mission-Focused Job Seekers

United Therapeutics’ newest Unisphere building in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland is one of the largest net-zero energy buildings in the world.

More and more, we’re seeing that jobseekers are paying close attention to a company’s mission and values when deciding where to take the next steps in their career. Not only that, but they’re doing their due diligence to make sure that companies are actually “walking the walk”, not just “talking the talk.”

With climate change continuing to be a major and growing concern, a commitment toward sustainability is one of the things that have been top of mind for many, particularly for millennials and Gen Z.

From an Idea on a Cocktail Napkin to One of the World’s Largest Net Zero Buildings

While biotech and biopharma companies are working to develop new therapeutics and medical devices to improve and save lives, lab work isn’t exactly the greenest business. To help offset necessities such as sterile single-use plastics, many companies are seeking ways to reduce their energy consumption and dependence on outdated and fragile electrical grids, such as installing solar panels and swapping out old lightbulbs for LEDs.

RELATED: Building Toward a More Sustainable Future – Insights and Tips for Life Science Companies

United Therapeutics, though, wanted to be bold. Very bold.

Like, “create one of the world’s largest net-zero energy buildings from scratch in a dense urban environment” bold.

If you know anything about United Therapeutics (UT)’s history, you know that this is a company that does not easily back down from a challenge. The driver for UT’s creation, after all, was the urgency for the company’s founder and CEO, Dr. Martine Rothblatt, to find a cure for her daughter when she was diagnosed with a rare and potentially fatal disease called pulmonary arterial hypertension. Since launching, the company has made impressive strides in finding treatments not only for pulmonary arterial hypertension, but other life-threatening diseases. To date, UT has gained FDA approval for six medicines, with multiple clinical trials in the works as well as efforts to create an unlimited supply of manufactured organs that can be used for transplants.

Construction for this state-of-the-art building, coined the “Unisphere”, began in 2016, and by 2018 the 210,000-square-foot building was up and running.

While the project took just two years to construct, it didn’t come without its hurdles. In fact, at one point the project was at risk of being abandoned altogether when Montgomery County pushed back against the construction of the Unisphere’s geothermal wells due to outdated state laws. Dr. Rothblatt and team refused to yield, though, and instead worked tirelessly with state officials to change the law allowing for the wells’ construction under the footprint of the building. Not only were they able to get approval to proceed, but their work laid the groundwork for other companies in the state who wanted to follow in UT’s footsteps in the near future.

A Building That is Alive and Breathing

If you get excited by all things sustainability, walking into UT is like walking into a massive candy shop. Not only is the building an incredible work of art from an aesthetic perspective, but you can sense that the team truly went above and beyond to ensure the building had no operational carbon footprint.

Here are just a few of the technologies and strategies in place:

• The Unisphere is fitted with a 1.0 MW solar array consisting of 2,959 photovoltaic panels
• Heating and cooling are both powered by 52 closed-loop geo-exchange wells beneath the building that uses the earth as a giant thermal battery
• A concrete labyrinth below the building that moderates temperature through natural ventilation
• The main atrium has a pool that is not only functional if you’d fancy a few laps during your break, but also acts as an additional heat-sink
• The office windows are responsive and automatically change tint with electrochromatic glazing and can open and close depending on the outside conditions allowing for natural ventilation when conditions are right
• UT’s CLIMB lab consisting of top-notch computational scientists who run experiments and clinical trial simulations in silico. This helps to minimize the amount of wet lab work and resources needed, which means less lab waste entering landfills
• Passive and interactive displays throughout the space which tell the building’s net zero story from a first-person perspective
• Extensive daylighting throughout providing a more naturally lit working environment reducing energy use and increase occupant comfort
• Individualized controls within each office space

Seeing the Impact First-Hand

It’s one thing to have all the measures in place to be an industry leader in net-zero facilities, but UT didn’t stop there. The company took additional steps to bring the entire team into the experience with a variety of visual, interactive educational tools.

Adorning the Unisphere’s main atrium wall is what looks like a mix between an analog clock and a sundial. It’s actually an energy wheel, and not only is it stunning to look at, but it shows whether the building is in a state of energy deficit or surplus based on the current weather conditions and the building’s energy usage.

The floors of the building also have gigantic interactive touchscreen displays. Employees can tap into their inner child and play with the display to see how the building has performed over the past days, weeks, and months.

Perks Beyond Sustainability 

While we’ve largely been focused on UT’s efforts to preserve our planet, we wouldn’t be doing the company justice if we also didn’t touch on the other amenities that employees can enjoy. These include:

• A stunning rooftop lounge area that is surprisingly comfortable even in the peak of summer as it is shaded by the extensive solar field above
• Recreational facilities in the Unisphere’s basement, which include a half-court basketball court, golf simulator, cornhole, and more
• A daycare facility for staffs’ children
• A state-of-the-art fitness facility with strength training and yoga classes

United Therapeutics was also the first publicly-traded biotech company to convert to a public benefit corporation (PBC). The company’s stated public benefit goal is “to provide a brighter future for patients through the development of novel pharmaceutical therapies; and technologies that expand the availability of transplantable organs. At the same time, UT seeks to provide shareholders with superior financial performance and communities with earth-sensitive energy utilization.” In practice, UT’s management can now place the interests of patients, employees, and the environment shoulder-to-shoulder with shareholders when making corporate decisions.

When asked what he’s most proud of to-date as a Unitherian, here’s what Senior Manager, Corporate Real Estate, Andy Campbell had to share…

Excited and ready to take the plunge?
Check out UT’s current job openings.