Sustainable design provides clean and efficient environments that promote healing: attributes that are no more important than at a pediatric hospital. Recognizing this, Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC is working with the architectural firm Astorino to achieve a LEED®-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) design that is sensitive to the environment and will contribute to the overall welfare of the patients, family and community it serves.
Site: Responsible, Accessible, Considerate
The new Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC is under construction on the urban campus of a former hospital in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of the city of Pittsburgh. By opting to locate the new hospital on this existing campus, the hospital will benefit from many of the assets already in place while the increased economic activity it will generate will help to revitalize the immediate urban neighborhood.
The campus sits on multiple transportation routes, allowing ease of access for commuting families, visitors, physicians and staff. All on-site parking was structured to maximize the density of the site and to reduce heat island effects otherwise caused by exposed pavement.
Finally, the site design is considerate to the needs of the city and the neighborhood. Considerable green spaces are planned on and around the building, featuring plantings selected to minimize irrigation needs.
Systems: Effective, Measurable, Clean
The project team has taken advantage of overlaps between LEED priorities and health care requirements to design a high quality, efficient and controllable set of MEP systems for the facility. Creation of a campus-wide Central Plant will help to reduce overall energy consumption at the source level and avoid the need for CFC and HCFC refrigerants. In order to ensure the performance of the systems, a construction air quality plan will be followed, an additional building air flush and filter change will be performed, and a commissioning process has been specified to ensure that all systems perform appropriately from day one.
This commissioning process designates an Information Systems (IS) contractor who will be responsible for the installation of all low voltage, network driven systems (including building automation, telecommunication, structured cabling, network, fire alarm, security, etc.). The IS contractor will be responsible for the test start and balance of all MEP systems and will provide and manage the test engineer responsibilities for functional performance testing (commissioning).
This approach shifts performance responsibility to the purveyors of the technology, which gives them a stake in the success of the project and thereby helps to ensure overall project success while potentially reducing project costs. A measurement and verification plan is also in place to allow the hospital to track performance over time, and maintain the efficiency of the building into the future.
Materials: Healthy, Durable, Reusable
All building materials have been considered for both their broad environmental impacts and specific impact on the project. Over 25% of the building area, including certain clinical areas, will be located within reused structure from the previous hospital. A significant amount of recycled materials will be used, beginning with the structural steel, which is nearly 100% recycled content. Brick and other exterior and interior finishes selections were made based on local extraction and availability.
Durability, cleanability and the overall quality of the interior environment are also major considerations. The hospital was particularly interested in selecting finishes, adhesives and sealants to reduce volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions into the space, including green label carpets and low-VOC paints and adhesives. Finally, mercury in the building will be reduced through the specification of HVAC system switches, the careful selection of lamp technologies for reduced mercury content and the review of new medical equipment.
Astorinos design for the new Replacement Facility embodies the Hospitals desire to provide a quality facility that will reinforce the strong reputation of Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC. The end product will provide an environment designed to promote healing and provide dedicated staff with the tools necessary to deliver state-of-the-art medical care to patients and their families for generations to come.
