|
How much does the
green design of a building really affect
We are hearing more and more about improved workplace performance
and productivity among employees of forward-thinking businesses
that adopt green design principles that incorporate elements like
natural light and fresh air. But in this issue’s cover story,
Diane Greer reports that an increasing number of healthcare institutions
are using green design not only to improve workplace performance
and keep in line with the growing shift toward sustainability in
business practices, but also to improve their patients’ health
and recovery time. The concept is nothing new—in the 1980s,
Roger Ulrich at Texas A&M University began studying whether
viewing natural settings could reduce patient stress and produce
measurable gains in patient outcomes, and found that those with
a nature view recovered faster (7.96 days vs. 8.7 days)—but
there has been a marked difference in the amount of healthcare
buildings making green design a priority.
“A few pioneering institutions have made the investment in green building,” says
Jim Moler from the healthcare group of Turner Construction, one of the nation’s
premier builders of healthcare facilities. “They have demonstrated that
there are health benefits, recruitment and retention benefits, and public relations
benefits. This has gotten the attention of the industry, and there are not many
healthcare executives who are simply rejecting it out of hand.”
The concept of green building certainly got the attention of Perkins+Will, an
architecture and design firm that joined with a handful of other companies tired
of sitting around waiting for the perfect green project. So they created their
own with “GreenLab,” a prototype biotechnology research laboratory
based on sustainable concepts and systems. As a result, they discovered that
a focus on sustainability in design resulted in both cost savings and other benefits
that exceeded even their expectations.
Taking the idea of sustainability a step further is HDR, an architecture, engineering
and consulting firm that is hoping to achieve a Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design (LEED) Platinum rating, a status that less than 20 buildings in the world
can claim. One feature that will help the McKinney Building in Texas achieve
this goal is the use of alternative energy to power the structure. Alternative
energy sources account for less than 10 percent of the total energy consumed
in the country, according to the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy
Efficiency and Renewable Energy. But now more than ever, using alternative energy
is becoming a possibility in the minds of many. For organizations that use alternative
energy sources to power their facilities— and as a result achieve greater
energy independence and reduced monthly energy expenses, as well as earn appreciation
from their customers for placing importance on sustainable facility practices—it
would seem that the concept is a no-brainer.
The fact is, while the businesses and hospitals and universities that are ahead
of the curve in sustainable design are most certainly the leaders of innovation
in their respective sectors, they are simply following the very thing that drove
the desire to have these healthy, day-lit, nature-inspiring areas in the first
place—basic human nature.
|
