Penn Medicine's new 1.5 million-square-foot pavilion on the Hospital of the University of Philadelphia campus — which opens Oct. 30 — received a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Healthcare v4 Gold Certification, becoming the largest certified project in the world to do so.
It is also the first hospital in the U.S. of more than 1 million square feet to receive certification from LEED Healthcare, according to an Oct. 26 press release.
LEED is the most widely used green building rating system. LEED Healthcare looks at green initiatives at medical facilities. To receive the certification, buildings must meet certain standards across several measurements.
"At Penn Medicine, implementing sustainability measures in our buildings has been a key area of our leadership in the health care field, to not only conserve energy but also improve the way patient care is delivered," CEO Kevin Mahoney said. "Our workforce is deeply committed to climate stewardship, and in the Pavilion, they can be proud to be part of a new era in conservation that puts medicine on the map as a force for improving the health of our planet."
Construction of the building included recycled materials from the demolition of the former facility. About 25 percent of materials were prefabricated and made off-site, which reduced waste and traffic during construction.
The facility will save more than 14 percent in annual energy costs, and the building uses outside air through the HVAC system.
It will also cut 30 percent of indoor water use through designs like low-flow and low-flush toilets, sinks and showers. More than 20 percent of the water for the HVAC system is captured on-site from rainwater, condensate and foundation dewatering.
Two percent of parking spaces have recharging stations for electric vehicles, and 352 bicycle parking spots are on the campus.
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