Healthcare - The Lost Sheep Of Sustainable Design

摘要

Hospitals and healthcare facilities would seem to be the most logical candidates among all building types to embrace sustainable design. Because they must operate around the clock, 365 days a year, and are packed with energy-gobbling high-tech equipment, hospitals consume huge amounts of energy (and water). To fight the spread of infection — about 2% of hospital patients get sick (or sicker) just from being hospitalized — they require frequent air exchanges and high-level cleaning standards to maintain indoor environmental quality. Yet the $36 billion healthcare construction industry has dragged its feet on sustainable design. Only 49 of the projects registered with the USGBC under LEED for New Construction are in healthcare, versus 412 office buildings, 232 university facilities, and 146 K-12 schools. Just one hospital, in Boulder, Colo., has been certified.