LEED for Healthcare

Imagination is becoming reality today with a dynamic new healthy building initiative being used by leading healthcare institutions around the world. The LEED® for Healthcare is the first quantifiable sustainable design, construction, and operations toolkit customized for the healthcare sector, as well as a transformational tool for building hospitals that are healthy for both people and the environment.

Given these developments, the opportunities are significant for improving environmental quality through green planning, design, construction, operations, and maintenance practices. Improving our environmental approach through Green construction practices is consistent with the American Hospital Assoiciation’s recent voluntary agreement with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reduce waste volume and toxicity in the healthcare industry.

As design professionals incorporate these LEED® principles into the design of healthcare facilities, contractors are also having to adapt. While installing these products may be new to the contractor, there is typically little to no cost impact compared to using standard materials. As economic conditions improve within the construction industry, the interest in providing a LEED® design to healthcare facilities will grow. Contractors will need to embrace these new designs in order to be competitive in the industry.

For More Information

To find out more about LEED for Healthcare Green Building Rating System, go to http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=1765

For more on the basis for applying LEED standards to healthcare facilities and the partnership of the USGBC ad GGHC, please visit: http://www.usgbc.org/Docs/News/USGBC%20GGHC%20112907.pdf

For more on the USGBC, go to http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=124

For a brochure on LEED, please click on brochures, LEED brochure, athttp://www.usgbc.org/Store/PublicationsList_New.aspx