The big news this week was that the International Green Construction Code (IgCC) was published in its final form. Why does this matter to healthcare? Because the IgCC’s structure is code-like compared to other green design initiatives, like Green Globes or LEED for Healthcare, it will likely get more a more favorable look by jurisdictions wanting to formally install and… [Read more…]
July 25, 2011
The Green Building Intiative (GBI) released its Green Globes CIEB for Healthcare. The GBI offering is an online tool that helps facility managers and owners track the environmental performance of their healtcare facility. For those not familiar with Green Globes, it is a competing sustainability rating and certification initiative similar to USGBC’s LEED systems. Both began… [Read more…]
March 14, 2011
Environmental Building News provided an excellent preview of the proposed, post-LEED v3 (2009) Rating System revisions, which are posted on its website, BuildingGreen.com. Deemed “LEED 2012″ for its expected release date, the revisions are comprehensive and global in that it is believed every Rating System will see changes, and some are very substantial. The US… [Read more…]
January 31, 2011
Late last year the much-anticipated LEED for Healthcare Rating System was released by the USGBC. It had a longer-than-expected journey to adoption, and you can read some of that here. The short story is LEED 2009 for Healthcare New Construction and Major Renovations is a hybrid of what the USGBC thought was important for sustainable design and… [Read more…]
November 26, 2010
In a recent post I explored how a design team can provide added value for an owner by assisting in financing a project. This has been a key for owners of historic structures who want to adaptively reuse or restore their facilities; they often tap resources to help realize a project that might otherwise cost a premium or… [Read more…]
November 3, 2010
A legitimate criticism of any cultural movement is its countermovement, which points out hypocrisy in the action of the masses. Perhaps this is sustainable design’s greatest challenge. Conceptually it is difficult to find fault with sustainability; yet there are many paths to get from current point A to green point B. Greenwashing, or illegitimate actions passed off as meaningful sustainable… [Read more…]
August 30, 2010
For those who think sustainable design differentiates you, or maybe that sustainable design is not yet here to saty: wake up. Green design is a given. Fast Company interviewed Clive Roux, the chief of the Industrial Designers Society of America, which runs the International Design Excellence Awards (IDEAs), and during this year’s awards he was… [Read more…]
August 26, 2010
Writer and artist Scott Adams, creator of the Dilbert comic, has a unique perspective to sustainable design with his own house as a case study. He offers it up in the Wall Street Journal blended with his usual brand of sarcastic but light-hearted humor. Enjoy!
August 20, 2010
Continue to exercise your patience for LEED for Healthcare a little longer. On Tuesday, the USGBC announced its third period for public comments. There were suspicions this might happen, but I think this is an unprecedented wait for any USGBC rating system. To me it signifies both the complexity of the task (melding both USGBC and… [Read more…]
August 2, 2010
You are excited: you have a project on the horizon and you have done your sustainable research. But there is a decision maker in your organization—boss, division chief, maybe a Board member—who is not sold on a LEED building. How to proceed? The party you are trying to win over will determine how you fashion… [Read more…]
March 30, 2012
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