Green Planning: Healthy Environments for Healthcare

Green building, as defined by the U.S. Green Building Council in Washington, D.C. is  "environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work." The Council, a nonprofit organization of architects, designers, and engineers works towards promoting the use of Green Building standards across the country. Green Buildings may include solar power, jogging paths, reflecting pools that double as rainwater-collection systems. Building materials used have a reduced effect on the environment throughout their life cycle in comparison to competing brands (e.g. recycled content, low toxicity, energy efficiency, biodegradability, and/or durability). The indoor environment of Green Buildings is designed to be healthy for their occupants.

Though only a few hospitals are now being designed and built under the strictest environmental guidelines, healthcare facilities have made significant improvements over the past two or three years in addressing an issue that has begun to gain significant attention in other industries. RBSD has taken steps to integrate environmentally friendly design into the planning process for healthcare facilities.

Green building design can help reduce operating cost while making a healthcare facility a healthier place for patients and staff. Among the overall goals of the U.S. Green Building Council is to reduce waste involved in the building of facilities by 33% by 2005 and by 50% by 2010. Green Building is building for 50 to 100 years rather than for 10. By building for the future, RBSD is able to provide facilities that are operationally beneficial and cost-efficient in the long-run.

RBSD’s designs of Environments for Healing maximize land use, optimize available building space, and seek to reduce waste whenever possible. Just as Green Building recognizes the importance of building to preserve natural resources and protect the environment, RBSD additionally understands the benefit of the environment on patients and staff within an Environment for Healing. Natural light proliferates the facilities designed by RBSD, and scenic views from large windows provide patients with a sense of space and time as they are connected to the outside world.