Hospitals take a lead in green construction
by Shannon Delaney and Stephanie Brien of WasteCap Wisconsin, March 9, 2007

As new healthcare facilities are being designed and constructed all over the country, many are fulfilling their mission to promote health and improve quality of life even before any patients have been admitted.

The Green Guide Institute, an independent organization researching green lifestyles, found that green-built healthcare facilities are not only benefiting the community and its employees but are promoting healing in patients.

Hospitals and clinics that build green lower their energy costs, reduce waste and provide a healthier environment for their occupants, reported a Green Guide Institute publication. Green healthcare facilities are also better able to prevent the spread of germs, provide healthier indoor air and let in more national light.

“Natural daylight will create a space that is more productive for the occupants of the building,” said Jeff Niesen, a project manager for Boldt Construction. “It’s a much more comfortable environment.”

Niesen is currently working on the construction of University of Wisconsin Interdisciplinary Research Complex (IRC) in Madison. The research complex will focus on a variety of health issues including cancer, stem cell and regenerative medicine research.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reported that green buildings also provide social benefits such as the potential to increase the comfort and health of those inside and a more pleasant atmosphere as a result of the building’s structural beauty.

Building green also minimizes the strain on local infrastructures and improves the overall quality of life to those occupying the building as well as the surrounding neighborhood.

According to a 2003 report from the U.S. Green Building Council titled Building Momentum: National Trends and Prospects for High-Performance Green Buildings, green buildings can boost the productivity of employees.

The report stated green buildings have design features that improve energy efficiency and indoor air quality. These are cost-effective ways to improve the productivity of workers which, in turn, will enhance the quality of services offered or products produced inside the building.

Scott Easton, a designer for the American Family Children’s Hospital project at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said the hospital had a strong desire to incorporate sustainable design principles into their project.

For instance, Easton said he designed the building following the green guidelines for healthcare and incorporated ideas like fluorescent lights, indirect lighting and automatic shutoff controls. He also ensured the equipment and systems within the hospital had little to no mercury content.

Building green healthcare facilities is benefiting contractors too. According to WasteCap Wisconsin, a statewide nonprofit organization hired to help develop construction debris recycling programs for the IRC and Children’s Hospital projects, recycling and reusing construction debris is both cost-effective and beneficial to the environment.

“The contractors who build green healthcare facilities are seeing significant savings by recycling construction debris,” said Susan Buchanan, executive director of WasteCap Wisconsin. “They are not only saving on waste disposal fees, but are also saving natural resources important to the community.”

Jim Yehle, a project manager for JH Findorff & Son, is managing construction of Children’s Hospital. By working with WasteCap Wisconsin, they have recycled almost 70 percent of the construction debris and have saved more than $12,000 in avoided disposal costs by recycling.

Similar to Yehle, Brian Marble, project manager for M.A. Mortenson Company, said one simple but effective tool for building a sustainable design is recycling construction debris.

M. A. Mortenson Company is managing the expansion project taking place at Columbia St. Mary’s Ozaukee Campus. The project has recycled more than two million pounds of material to date and has avoided nearly $17,000 in disposal costs by recycling.

WasteCap Wisconsin reported that by recycling wood and metal, the project has saved the equivalent of 740 trees and enough energy savings to power 12 average-sized homes for a year.

The project won an award at WasteCap Wisconsin’s 2006 R3 Awards for highest recycling rate on a construction project. M.A. Mortenson Company, which is currently recycling 83% of the construction debris generated on the site, will host a WasteCap Wisconsin Talk & Tour on March 28 to showcase its successful recycling program and offer a tour of the expansion project. For more information, visit www.wastecapwi.org/events.