Mills-Peninsula Medical Center
The new hospital makes use of numerous earth conscious materials, such as water-based paints and cabinetry made of renewable resources such as bamboo. But the truly green aspects of the project are energy saving efficiencies and smart building management systems.
“Our goal was to be environmentally friendly while making good choices for patient safety and cost-effectiveness,” says Larry Kollerer, senior project manager for the new Mills-Peninsula Medical Center. “Energy bills in a hospital are huge. So anything we could do to reduce our energy consumption is not only green, it’s good business.”
• A state-of-the-art ventilation system uses wrap-around heat exchangers in the air stream. As air is exhausted, energy is recovered – either heat or cold – and used to preheat or pre-cool the new incoming air as it is brought back through the air handlers.
• The architectural design takes advantage of natural light in all patient care and public spaces; energy efficient high performance glazing on windows; computerized lighting systems turn lights on and off based on demand
• A non-chemical “dolphin” system controls bacteria in the water of the condenser loops of the heating and cooling system, thus keeping harmful substances from flowing to the bay
• Low flow plumbing fixtures, low-VOC (chemical compound) materials for less toxic emissions
• All construction debris was sorted into bins for wood, steel, copper, etc. for effective recycling
• After demolition of the existing hospital, the old concrete will be used as landscaping material at the site
• Some 600 feet of abandoned concrete water lines have been reused to create an onsite cistern for rainwater storage
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