In October 2012 UW Medical Center inaugurated the Montlake Tower, a gleaming new wing on its south side. The $215 million project immediately increased patient capacity in three important areas and boasts leading-edge technology whose use was just approved in June by the FDA. Oncology, radiology and neonatal intensive-care units each have floors in the eight-story tower. The tower is among the first facilities to employ recommendations of an energy-reduction study published in 2010 by the UW’s Integrated Design Lab and a consortium of architects, engineers and builders. The structure’s energy efficiency surpasses Seattle’s guidelines by 30 percent, says Duncan Griffin, a senior architect at NBBJ, the tower’s design firm. Reduced power requirements brought by LED lighting, solar shading and other advantages are projected to save upward of $276,000 annually.