LEED set for big changes
Green building accreditation modifies testing, certification process
The U.S. Green Building Council and the Green Building certification Institute are ready to begin operating under the new LEED revisions that will adjust nearly every aspect of the program, including adding a new tier to certification as well as how buildings are graded.
March 31 was the last date that candidates were able to register for the expiring credentialing exams: LEED for New Construction version 2.2, or LEEDNC, and LEED for Commercial Interiors version 2.0, or LEED-CI.
Navigating Healthcare Design-Build
The ‘inside and out’ of Washington University Orthopedics and Barnes-Jewish Hospital Outpatient Orthopedic Center
The healthcare field continually produces cutting-edge technologies and procedures that save lives and improve people’s quality of life. However, medical facilities are some of the most complex and functional buildings, which can leave patients feeling overwhelmed and lost in their halls.
As many hospitals establish satellite offices for smaller outpatient procedures and therapies, designers and builders are being challenged to create these facilities with a welcoming and comforting environment with the end user in mind, while also meeting the functional requirements of decision makers and doctors. These often conflicting challenges have helped advance the institutional design-build industry. Washington University Orthopedics and Barnes- Jewish Hospital Outpatient Orthopedic Center in Chesterfield, Mo., sought to create a one-stop outpatient care center that combined functionality, environment and aesthetics. Built because of predicted growth and demand for outpatient orthopedic services during the next decade, the new two-story, 60,000-square-foot facility serves as the department’s primary facility for sports medicine, hand surgery, shoulder surgery, foot and ankle surgery, and physical medicine and rehabilitation.
Extreme Designs
Designing Hospitals for Intense Climatic Conditions
By Ronald L. Skaggs, Joseph G. Sprague & George J. Mann
Architects and contractors, as well as their clients, must collaborate closely as they work in a variety of geographic settings to design and construct medical facilities — not just in the United States but all over the world. The ability to grasp and quickly comprehend a variety of climatic and geographic settings, and develop appropriate designs, has a profound impact on their practices — both individually and collaboratively.
A broad spectrum of issues must be considered when designing exteriors for health facilities and hospitals.
