The whitepaper, “LEEDing the Way With Green Design at Brigham and Women’s Hospital,” explains how BWH along with Environmental Health & Engineering (EH&E), were able to balance clinical needs with a sustainable environment plus achieve a 20 percent energy consumption reduction, all in accordance with LEED criteria.
“EH&E and BWH administrators encountered and overcame challenges including the necessity for 24/7 operation of intensive care rooms and operating rooms; the intensive energy consumption demanded throughout the facility by imaging equipment, medical equipment cooling, and conditioned spaces; issues relating to infection control, including specialized protocols for immunocompromised patients; the need for redundant energy supplies; internal demands for improved lighting and air quality; and external community concerns such as traffic and construction,” said John F. McCarthy, Sc.D., C.I.H., author of the white paper and president of EH&E.
The greatest challenge in achieving LEED goals is maintaining strict clinical requirements while meeting an aggressive construction schedule for a large, state of the art medical building. The whitepaper identifies how to meet these challenges and identifies key components to successfully completing a new sustainable and energy efficient facility.
These components include:
- Stakeholder engagement
- Performance metrics
- Identification of potential opportunities
- Implementing green initiatives
- Project coordinating and tracking
"National evidence is beginning to suggest that patients recover more quickly in this environment," says Arthur Mombourquette, BWH’s vice president of support services. “Families and friends also will feel more comfortable while visiting patients. And employee productivity and satisfaction are likely to improve.”