Go Green. Boston Hospitals. By Jess Madden

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Boston Hospitals Go Green It may seem a strange principle to enunciate, as the very first requirement of a hospital, that it should do the sick no harm.

1 Boston Hospitals Go Green It may seem a strange principle to enunciate, as the very first requirement of a hospital, that it should do the sick no harm. Florence Nightingale, 1859 By Jess Madden Currently ranked 6th on the list of green U.S. cities, Boston is working hard to move up the ladder. Nationally recognized as the first major city in the U.S. to require adherence to green building standards in the zoning review process, since 2007, the city has mandated that all private buildings over 50,000 square feet in Boston are required to be designed and planned to meet the U.S. Green Building Council s LEED 14 DOORS & HARDWARE FEBRUARY 2009

Prayer flags line the long hallway leading to the Healing Garden. Sunset view from Massachusetts General Hospital rooftop Healing Garden. certification.

There is currently $6 billion in new medical construction underway in the Boston region alone.

Longwood medical area, the locals like to joke that Boston is the best place in the country to have a heart attack.

Now, some 40 years later, the hospital will continue its leadership role with its new Shapiro Cardiovascular Center.

2 Prayer flags line the long hallway leading to the Healing Garden. Sunset view from Massachusetts General Hospital rooftop Healing Garden. certification. More recently, legislation has been passed requiring all new construction or gut renovation of a healthcare facility in Massachusetts to be LEED Silver or LEED HC. There is currently $6 billion in new medical construction underway in the Boston region alone. With three world-renown teaching hospitals already located in Boston s Window walls at B&W allow for maximum daylighting. Longwood medical area, the locals like to joke that Boston is the best place in the country to have a heart attack. In the early 1960s, the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital opened one of the first cardiovascular wards in the country. Now, some 40 years later, the hospital will continue its leadership role with its new Shapiro Cardiovascular Center. The 136-bed Shapiro Cardiovascular Center at what has since been renamed Brigham and Women s Hospital is the first hospital in New England and the largest and most advanced patient care center to achieve LEED certification. At a cost of $380 million, the 420,000 square foot, 10-story facility will incorporate 16 new operating rooms and will connect to affiliated facilities via tunnels below an active city street. The building includes 136 in-patient beds in universal rooms, which can convert from an intensive care environment to a conventional inpatient level of care. A bridge crossing Francis Street connects the building to the 1.5 million square-foot main campus of Brigham & Women s Hospital. But those are just a bunch of facts and figures, really. To fully February 2009 DOORS & HARDWARE 15

Brigham and Women s (B&W) patient rooms before the renovation. Newly renovated patient rooms have higher ceilings, expansive views and the latest in technology.

As you tour the small, cramped, semi-private rooms with outdated bathrooms, fixtures and equipment, you start to feel vaguely unwell yourself.

electric hum. It s the image that springs to mind every time you think of going to a hospital. It s dark and oppressive and absolutely nothing about it is conducive to healing.

There are even plush recliners in each room that fold out into beds for family members who wish to stay the night.

3 Brigham and Women s (B&W) patient rooms before the renovation. Newly renovated patient rooms have higher ceilings, expansive views and the latest in technology. appreciate just how much planning and care went into the design and construction of the Shapiro Cardiovascular Center, you really have to see the previous care facility. As you tour the small, cramped, semi-private rooms with outdated bathrooms, fixtures and equipment, you start to feel vaguely unwell yourself. The rooms form a semicircle around the old nurses station, which occupies the center of the floor, illuminated by a few florescent lights hanging from ceilings so low you can actually hear the lights electric hum. It s the image that springs to mind every time you think of going to a hospital. It s dark and oppressive and absolutely nothing about it is conducive to healing. Contrast that with the spacious 300 square foot private rooms, each with an enormous window, 12 foot ceilings, sleek and modern bathrooms, and the very latest in medical technology. There are even plush recliners in each room that fold out into beds for family members who wish to stay the night. As one of the facility planners joked, The biggest problem we have now is getting patients to leave! When plans were being drawn up, the goal was to create a patientcentered facility that would not only improve the look and feel of the hospital and be environmentally sustainable, but would actually help patients recover more quickly. Studies continually show that hospital patients with an outside view suffer fewer complications, need less pain medication and are discharged sooner. Similar benefits have been found in hospitals where family members can stay overnight. In addition to the primary focus on patient comfort, safety was also a Skylights help increase natural light in common areas of B&W. 16 DOORS & HARDWARE FEBRUARY 2009

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90% of hospital accidents occur in bathrooms so the renovated rooms at B&W contain increased safety features. large concern.

Hand rails were obviously installed, but so, too, were seats in each shower. There is also a window above that lets in even more sunlight.

Every piece of equipment that was selected and purchased for this building had a high environmental rating, said Joe O Farrell, the project manager for the Shapiro Center.

patients. Massachusetts General Hospital has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from patients on their Healing Garden, located on the 8th floor roof.

5 90% of hospital accidents occur in bathrooms so the renovated rooms at B&W contain increased safety features. large concern. Over 90% of patient accidents in hospitals occur in the bathroom, so the design team took great steps to reduce potential hazards. Hand rails were obviously installed, but so, too, were seats in each shower. There is also a window above that lets in even more sunlight. All of the plumbing fixtures are low flow in order to minimize water consumption. Every piece of equipment that was selected and purchased for this building had a high environmental rating, said Joe O Farrell, the project manager for the Shapiro Center. Another way hospitals are working to improve the oppressive atmosphere that they have been known for in the past is by adding green roofs to their facilities, thereby bringing nature closer to patients. Massachusetts General Hospital has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from patients on their Healing Garden, located on the 8th floor roof. Although the garden is open to the public and is sometimes used for parties and even the occasional wedding ceremony, it s mainly used by patients as a place of respite. Decorated with Yellowwood trees, River Birch, Japanese Maples, Rhododendrons and blueberry bushes, nothing about this sanctuary reminds you that you are in a hospital. The 6,200 square foot garden is surrounded by glass walls designed to give the garden a truly open feel and allow you some of the best views in the city. Patients can sit on a bench and watch sailboats in Boston Harbor, and because the garden faces south and west, the sunsets can be breathtaking. The garden cost $2.5 million to build and plant, but the emotional and psychological benefit to patients who use it is beyond measure. As one boy wrote in the garden s guest book, This place was the best medicine. About the Author: Jess Madden is the editor of Doors & Hardware magazine. She can be contacted at (703) or ed at jmadden@dhi.org. 18 DOORS & HARDWARE FEBRUARY 2009

A PROMISE MADE, A PROMISE KEPT. Cape Fear Valley s New Hospital Finally Delivers

A PROMISE MADE, A PROMISE KEPT Cape Fear Valley s New Hospital Finally Delivers It wasn t long after his arrival that Cape Fear Valley CEO Mike Nagowski began turning his attention westward toward Hoke