From the growing use of mass timber materials to the push for all-electric hospitals, sustainable design continues to gain traction across the healthcare sector.
As more healthcare organizations aim to address their carbon footprint, improve operational efficiencies, and integrate eco-friendly materials and building practices into their building environments, project teams are responding with new strategies as well as design approaches.
Furthermore, project teams are helping illustrate the case that environmental stewardship and the application of biophilic design principles, which aim to integrate natural themes and elements into the built environment, contribute positively to the health and well-being of patients and staff.
Here, Healthcare Design shares a roundup of articles highlighting new projects and strategies advancing environmental design in healthcare environments.
(© Tom Bonner 2024)
Joe C. Wen & Family Center For Advanced Care, Irvine, California: Photo Tour
The new outpatient facility, part of UCI Health‘s all-electric medical campus in Irvine, blends advanced care with a design rooted in wellness and sustainability. Read more.
25 Years Of Healthcare Design: Green Building Movement
TLC Engineering Solutions’ Kim Shinn traces the sustainable design movement in healthcare and where it’s heading next. Read more.
(Halkin Mason Photography LLC)
MyMichigan Health’s Cancer Center Project Offers Lessons In Adaptive Reuse
Situated on a 225-acre wooded campus in Midland, Mich., the MyMichigan Health project transformed two aging MOBs into a 115,000-square-foot center with a 3-story atrium that brings natural light and garden views into nearly every patient-facing space. Read more.
How We Heal: The Power Of Nature
Biophilic design strategies and the careful integration of nature within healthcare environments can support human health and wellness, writes Juan Rovalo of Perkins&Will. Read more.
(Chad Baumer)
Constructing Climate-Resilient Hospitals: 6 Strategies For Healthcare Facilities
Rob Meyer and Supina Mapon of DPR Construction explain how choices made in design and construction can lay the groundwork for keeping facilities functioning through emergencies caused by severe climate events. Read more.
Rise Of Mass Timber Construction In Healthcare Design
HDR’s Duncan Griffin and Jason-Emery Groen examine the rising interest in mass timber facility design and the benefits of incorporating the material in healthcare facility projects, including improved patient experiences and healing outcomes. Read more.
(Shepley Bulfinch)
Penn Medicine Princeton Cancer Center, Plainsboro, New Jersey: First Look
The comprehensive cancer care center, designed by Shepley Bulfinch, prioritizes environmental stewardship by targeting LEED Gold certification and incorporating energy recovery technology and sustainable building materials. Read more.
Making The Case For All-electric Hospitals
All-electric hospitals offer a new solution to create more resilient, energy-efficient care environments. This two-part series by Mark Chrisman of Henderson Engineers looks at the environmental and economic drivers of electrification. Read Part 1 here and Part 2 here.
