Sustainability in Health Care
The health care industry pursues to protect, restore and enhance
public health. As a result, it is important for health care organizations to adopt an approach to design, construct and maintain
facilities that support healthy environments for their patients
and surrounding communities. This is where our industry can
help, as the use of sustainable materials can drastically enhance
a building’s overall health.
The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine in
Connecticut placed a focus on sustainable design measures when
undergoing its restructure. The laboratory focused on energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality (IEQ), and site conservation. They also used metal panels finished in a durable coating
that provides the exterior with added protection and will extend
the life of the building. The use of metal panels helped further
the building’s sustainability goals as the metal material itself is
made of recycled products. The coating applied then helps to
protect the panels, conserving the product and ensuring that
they will not need to be replaced in a few years, consequently
requiring the use of additional building materials.
As an extension to the Children’s Hospital of The King’s
Daughters and part of the Sentara Princess Anne Medical campus, the Princess Anne Office Building was constructed in 2008
to provide medical offices, an outpatient surgery center, laboratories, and a radiology suite to support the organization’s growing needs. Due to the building’s proximity to the Atlantic ocean,
the Princess Anne Office Building was designed with an ocean-themed motif that extends all the way to its sloping metal roof
that was constructed to emulate the cresting ocean. The metal
roof was finished in a protective solar reflective coating that enhances the energy-efficiency of the building, in turn helping to
lower cooling costs and conserve resources.
Sustainability in Public Buildings
The year 2015 was documented as the warmest in record. In total, the 10 hottest years in history have all occurred since 1998.
The efforts of reducing energy use and carbon emissions are
crucial to managing this shift. In public buildings, especially
located in compact urban areas, a growing issue occurs when
additional energy is used for cooling because this usage adds
to the problem of urban heat island effect. Urban heat island
effect refers to the risk of increased temperatures in urban areas
relative to the surrounding rural or natural areas due to the high
concentration of heat-absorbing surfaces. For example, temperatures in urban areas have increased up to 12 degrees above the
normal temperature in nearby rural areas.
A main contributor to this issue also comes from the fact that at
least 20 percent of the land surface in most urban areas is covered by
roofing, and traditional roofing materials absorb 85 to 95 percent of
the sun’s heat energy. As part of the solution, the need for more products that reduce the amount of energy we consume and place more
emphasis on their environmental effects has grown. The global green
coatings market has seen an increase in demand in recent years and
is forecasted to grow 5.1 percent annually through 2020.
The coatings industry has seen a similar need for helping to
solve the urban heat island effect and has worked to formulate
coatings with the highest Solar Reflective (SR) values to develop
a solution. Solar reflective coatings are formulated to reflect the
sun’s infrared energy, which in turn reduces the amount of infrared light absorbed by an exterior surface. In consequence,
this helps to combat the urban heat island effect and can result
in lower energy consumption for a building, and in turn a city.
For example, the Polk Penguin Conservation Center in the
Detroit Zoo utilized solar reflective coatings to help achieve a
resembled look of an Antarctic iceberg. With the goal to reflect
a penguin’s natural icy habitat, the manufacturers installed dia-mond-shaped metal panels and applied a unique solar reflective
pearlescent coating, providing the penguin center with a beautiful and energy-saving exterior. The coating contains 70 percent
An elementary school in Utah achieves both visual and functional success with
six dynamic coating colors. Photo: VCBO Architecture
The Princess Anne Office Building provides both a visually and functionally
pleasing facility for children receiving medical treatment in Virginia Beach.
Photo: ATLAS International
