One of benefits of LEED certification for buildings is that over the years, the US Green Building Council has developed custom standards that apply to specific industries, such as LEED for Health Care.
Health care group Kaiser Permanente announced that all new major construction projects will be built to LEED-Gold standards – hospitals and large medical offices, for example.
That’s significant because they plan to spend $30 billion over the next 10 years on new construction – 14 million square feet in over 100 buildings.
Kaiser has over 8.6 million members in nine states and the District of Columbia.
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Opening in August, the Kaiser Permanente Westside Medical Center in Hillsboro, Oregon will be the first to be certified LEED-Gold. The 126-bed hospital is Kaiser’s 38th hospital.
Its Napa California data center received “LEED-Platinum for Existing Buildings and two medical centers in Georgia are expected to earn LEED-Silver.
“The LEED certification system’s rigorous strategies for such features as pedestrian friendliness, sustainable site development, water and energy use, indoor environmental quality and
chemical avoidance have made it one of the most influential forces in building design in the world,” says Kaiser.
Kaiser has been recognized as a leader on using green materials in the health care industry for years. In 2004, it banned the use of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in carpets and flooring, even working with manufacturers to develop PVC-free building products. It’s been leading on reducing toxic chemicals and on using electronic medical records, which also has positive environmental benefits.
Kaiser also has 15 megawatts of solar on 11 hospitals and other buildings in California and has a target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions 30% by 2020, from a 2008 baseline. Kaiser purchases the solar from Recurrent Energy which owns and operates the installations.
Date: May 22, 2013