Susie Festel

Many designers and builders strive to design and build sustainably, especially with increased attention to the myriad benefits of energy efficiency and eco-friendly materials. Achieving this can sometimes be harder than first thought when the reality of budgets and time constraints square up against sustainability’s longer–term benefits.  

The health care industry in particular has found it challenging to embrace sustainable design, as the many patient safety, infection control and other requirements from the Department of Public Health severely limit the amount of flexibility in health care design. But if an organization is serious about sustainability and will put its money where its mouth is, so to speak, sustainability is achievable and will provide both environmental and financial benefits over a much longer period of time. 

 Pick Materials that Last for Life 

Medical facilities are made up buildings that will be around for 40 to 60 years on average. Not only does this give an organization a longer lifespan to realize the economic benefits of these initially money-heavy investments, but the materials used to build these facilities can be selected based on their longevity.  

This means using better–quality materials to begin with, and then being able to count on these materials to last for the lifetime of the facility, instead of needing to be replaced every 10 years and thereby incurring additional expenses down the road. 

Some specific selections a sustainable designer might incorporate include high-tech glass, exterior wall details rated for heat load, and other efficient building design strategies meant to prevent energy loss. Highly efficient HVAC systems with individual controls are also a must. Incorporating daylight–harvesting designs that take advantage of sunlight are other ways to minimize energy needs.  

Choosing heavy-duty materials that may be more expensive to begin with but will last much longer than cheaper alternatives – like epoxy floors instead of sheet vinyl, or ultra-white rock instead of wall protection in operating rooms – also pays off in the long run, as the rate of maintenance and replacement is greatly reduced. LED lighting is another choice a health care designer can make that will be more expensive initially but will offer savings that will eventually more than cover the higher initial costs.  

Sustainable Designs Boost in Patient Health 

In addition to their positive environmental impacts and longer–term cost benefits, many sustainable design elements also benefit patients.  

For example, daylight–harvesting buildings not only help limit the amount of LED lighting required to begin with, but natural daylight is thought to improve patients’ mental well-being and overall health outcomes. Visitors coming to see their loved ones also frequently notice natural lighting, which helps to strengthen the overall reputation of the organization and potentially result in more referrals down the road.  

Health care staff members also comment on experiencing the benefits of natural lighting themselves, which translates into a better overall working environment and more positive interactions among patients, family and staff. Additionally, allowing patients to control the temperature of their own room allows for enhanced comfort, again augmenting patients’ overall experience. 

When designing a new hospital or medical facility – or renovating part of an existing facility – it is understandable that an organization might want to be cheap at the start. After all, “cheap” still typically amounts to hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars.  

However, through careful financial analysis of long-term expenses and costs, health care organizations can quickly see the financial savings of their sustainable design selections add up. Further, these decisions are better for the environment in the long run – a fact that is not only good on its own, but also definitely worth highlighting in a health care organization’s public relations campaign. The heavier financial outlay at the beginning also benefits staff and patients – creating further savings and fewer expenses as employee retention goes up and patient outcomes are enhanced.  

It might be easy to go the route requiring the fewest dollar bills, but for those organizations that agree to the extra investment, they better understand what’s at stake, and they have proven their commitment to building for the future.  

Susie Festel is lead designer and associate/interior architect for Boston-based JACA Architects.