From the Editor
If you’re heading to Boston for Greenbuild today, you’ll probably notice that one of the “themes” of the show is trends in green health care facilities. USGBC continues to work through the approval process for its LEED for Healthcare rating system – a system based on the Green Guide for Health Care (GGHC). The GGHC has long been the standard for building environmentally responsible health care facilities, and because that document borrowed from LEED’s credit structure anyway, it was natural that USGBC and the creators of the Green Guide would collaborate closely on LEED for Healthcare.

Going green in health care makes all the sense in the world. Green buildings are healthy buildings, and health care facility executives are beginning to argue that it’s almost negligent if hospitals aren’t designed and built green. That’s because research has shown that healthy buildings help reduce nosocomial infections and help patients heal more quickly. In addition, green buildings provide health care workers with a better, more productive environment in which to care for patients.

Research on the notion of evidence-based design – that buildings can affect patient outcomes – has been ongoing for several years. The Center for Health Care Design’s Pebble Project is the most familiar example. But it’s only been recently that we’re seeing the complementary ideas of evidence-based design and sustainable building linked. It’s an idea whose time has come!


Cheers,

Greg Zimmerman, editor

Green Strategies
Healthy and Green
A growing number of health care facilities are synchronizing evidence-based design and sustainable strategies.

In the News
Standard Addresses Ventilation Design Requirements for Health Care Facilities
The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and the American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) have released ANSI/ASHRAE/ASHE Standard 170-2008, Ventilation of Health Care Facilities. The standard defines ventilation-system design requirements that provide environmental control for comfort, as well as infection and odor control.

Green Toolkit
Green Guide for Health Care
The Green Guide for Health Care is a best practices guide for healthy and sustainable building design, construction, and operations for the healthcare industry.

 The Global Health and Safety Initiative
The Global Health and Safety Initiative (GHSI) is a sector-wide collaboration to transform the way that healthcare designs, builds and operates its facilities, as well as the products used within those facilities.

 Green Pulse
How important do you think it is that health care facilities be built sustainably?  
— Even more important than other buildings.
— Just as important as other buildings.
— Not important at all.  

Click here to answer and view results.

GreenTech Conference & Exposition

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