About Us

Helping leaders finance capital asset projects for efficient, healthful, and disaster-resistant facilities.

The environment in which people live, work, learn, and discover reveals much about an institution’s/organization’s principles and values. VCR believes these facilities should serve as examples for design, construction, and operations.

John Porretto, as Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston led the planning, design and construction of a Gold LEED certified Nursing School and Student Services Center in the Texas Medical Center.

Sustainable strategies, integrated design, and long-term thinking led to significant benefits for those who work, learn, serve, and teach in these buildings. Significant energy and maintenance savings.

More people use stairs rather than elevators, due to their width and brightness from natural daylighting. Outdoor views impacts morale and productivity. Since opening in 2004, tours of the Nursing School continue to teach the public about its unique, sustainable features and the impact of such spaces on health, well-being, and economic efficiency.

Major takeaways for John?

Institutions that own and operate their facilities cannot afford to abide by first costs thinking - it is long-term operations and maintenance costs that burden the owners of these buildings.

Institutions that invest wisely in efficient, healthful, and enduring facilities lower operations and maintenance expenses and by redirecting the savings can better serve their stakeholders and communities.

Including sustainability criteria as a condition for Sale/Leaseback financing can improve the built environment with greater numbers of healthful, efficient, and enduring facilities to serve as models for others to emulate.

What's next in the future of the built environment?

Now it is possible for responsible institutions to construct facilities that are healthful, energy and maintenance efficient, and enduring... to ensure that they will:

Promote Health and Well-Being

Focus on non-toxic materials, including avoidance of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) because of its health risks. PVC is traditionally used in a wide range of products from plumbing to furniture.

Maximize perlite ceiling tile where possible, because perlite is a natural substance that does not outgas, as many conventional ceiling materials do.

Partner with companies that use only proven state-of-the-art equipment and materials.

Provide the highest possible personal control of the workplace ― operable windows, task lighting and heating-ventilation-air-conditioning controls.

Uplift the spirit of dwellers with interior spaces that capitalize on daylighting, radiate simple elegance, reflect timeless design, and are welcoming and comfortable.

Improve the Environment

Minimize Environmental Hazards

Endure for at least 100 years, facilitating adaptive reuse.

Incorporate natural daylighting opportunities presented by the physical site.

Use 67 percent recycled and reclaimed materials.

Reduce transportation-related pollution by using building materials from local sources within 500 miles of the site as possible.

Reduce total water use by 63 percent through multiple water reduction strategies.

Replace 51 percent of the Portland cement used in concrete with fly ash, the waste by-product from the combustion of coal for electricity generation. Beyond reduction of carbon dioxide emissions from production of cement, reformulated concrete is stronger and cures faster, strengthening the building and saving construction time.

Achieve equivalency of Passive Building standards that would qualify for highest LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification.