Medical space gets behind greener design (Austin)

Developers are slowly concluding that green medical construction and design may be just what the doctor ordered when it comes to the health care sector.

Sustainable architecture and design can impact many aspects of health care, including patient satisfaction, nurse retention, medical outcomes and financial performance, according to the Green Guide for Health Care, an initiative that provides guidelines and resources for that sector.

Trends in construction suggest the health care sector will be an important target for those offering energy-efficient measures moving forward, primarily because hosptials require huge amounts of energy to serve patients around the clock.

Health care construction had been on an upward swing since 2000, although it slowed in recent times because of the recession. The nation will continue to need medical facilities to accommodate population growth and aging baby boomers.

Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas has helped make Austin a leader nationally in green medical construction. Seton Family of Hospitals’ planning paid off in 2008, when the children’s hospital became the first in the world to receive LEED Platinum certification. LEED is short for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. TBG Architects & Planners Inc. of Oregon and White Construction Co. of Austin were on the hospital’s design and construction team.

Dell Children’s Medical Center’s reasons for pursuing LEED standards went beyond environmental concerns, CEO Robert Bonar said when the hospital received its platinum certification.

Read the full story in the Austin Business Journal.