Healthcare facilities go green, combat energy waste

The Green Patient Room, a healthcare exhibit using ecologically friendly design and materials and designed to show just how green hospital facilities can go, will be featured at the International Facility Management Assn.'s World Workplace 2007 Conference & Expo, Oct. 24 through Oct. 26, in New Orleans.

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The Green Patient Room, a healthcare exhibit using ecologically friendly design and materials and designed to show just how green hospital facilities can go, will be featured at the International Facility Management Assn.'s World Workplace 2007 Conference & Expo, Oct. 24 through Oct. 26, in New Orleans.

Created by architectural firm Anshen+Allen, San Francisco, in conjunction with the IFMA Health Care Council and Corporate Realty, Design & Construction, the exhibit was unveiled earlier this year at D&D Communications Group's Commercial Construction Show in Chicago. It was developed to illustrate how sustainable design practices improve patient care. The room also serves as an educational tool for healthcare administrators, showing how they can adopt green practices now.

“To my knowledge, no one has done a green patient room as an educational exhibit prior to this,” said Gary Collins, AIA, president of the IFMA Health Care Council and associate principal for Anshen+Allen. “It may not happen overnight, but this display will help hospital personnel learn how to update their facilities with the latest in green products, whether they want to undertake a multi-phase remodel or go green one component at a time.”

Green Patient Room is divided into three unique zones: patient, family and staff. Each zone is meant to improve patient care by increasing comfort and minimizing disorder and stress.

The room also takes steps to combat energy waste and improve patient health. Low-flow rate faucet aerators, showerheads and toilets reduce water consumption. High-performance lighting, glass and insulation systems utilize natural light and reduce energy costs. Non-toxic materials low in volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions are used throughout the room to improve air quality and speed patient recovery.

The result is a room founded on evidence-based design (EBD) principles, meaning the dynamic of the room itself can contribute to patient care and encourage the healing process.

For more information about the Green Patient Room exhibit, go to www.worldworkplace.org .