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Published Sunday, January 29, 2012 in Local

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The new Piedmont Newnan Hospital on Poplar Road is one of the first LEED-certified hospitals in Georgia. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

Energy efficiency, environmental sensitivity will make new facility 'a different type of hospital'

By Alex McRae

The Newnan Times-Herald

(Editor's note: This is the fourth installment in The Newnan Times-Herald's weekly Sunday series leading up to the opening of the new Piedmont Newnan Hospital on Poplar Road at I-85 this spring.)

Energy efficiency and environmental sensitivity are not the first things someone considers before or during a hospital stay. But the evidence grows stronger every day that hospitals dedicated to those ideals provide not just a cleaner, healthier healing environment but reduce their environmental impact on the communities they serve.

In today's construction industry, meeting the highest standards of environmental stewardship and design is not left to chance. The building industry has partnered with leaders in health care and other industries to develop a set of standards designed to ensure that new buildings can deliver comfort, convenience and high-quality services with the smallest possible impact on the environment and customers.

This program is known as LEED, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. LEED has helped the construction industry rethink and redefine how people think about the places they live, work, learn ... and heal.

The LEED rating system was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council in 2000. Supporters say the program has positive impacts wherever it is used.

According to the U.S. Green Building Council, "LEED is transforming the way built environments are designed, constructed, and operated -- from individual buildings and homes, to entire neighborhoods and communities."

Those dedicated to following LEED standards include architects, real estate professionals, facility managers, engineers, interior designers, landscape architects, construction managers, lenders and government officials.

Today, more than 9 billion square feet of building space around the world has achieved LEED certification. The new Piedmont Newnan Hospital is proud to be part of the LEED program, and officials believe that building a hospital in a way that maximizes patient care and minimizes environmental disturbance is good for all involved.

"Being LEED certified will not only benefit our environment, but it will also benefit our patients, visitors and staff," said Pam Kesselring, project manager for Piedmont Newnan Hospital. "Many of the LEED certification requirements related to indoor environmental quality, energy and atmosphere will create a healthier environment within the facility. For example, because the finishing materials we used in constructing the building (i.e., carpet, paint, tile glue, etc.) are low chemical-emitting materials, the air and atmosphere within the building will be cleaner."

Piedmont Newnan Hospital officials say that the new facility "is a different type of hospital -- inviting and engaging nature on a human scale. From integrated gardens and green spaces to a sustainable design, it will offer a blended aesthetic of natural and built environments featuring modern, clean lines. While the hospital's focus is on providing high-quality health care services to its patients, being good stewards of the environment is another key priority. In fact, 95 percent of construction waste materials on site are being recycled by diverting the materials from a landfill to a recycling facility. The site is 105 acres and only 36.3 percent is being developed. The other 63.7 percent is protected to preserve as much natural green space as possible, including specimen trees."

A LEED-certified building will promote better treatment and faster healing and recovery in ways patients may not even be aware of before they are admitted.

A good example is the facility's state-of-the-art Building Automation System. Features of the system are summarized here:

n The building automation system monitors the hospital's central heating/cooling system and maximizes system control and energy efficiencies, therefore providing more patient comfort and cost savings.

n It is completely automated so that boilers and chillers are monitored from one central location and adjustments to the system may be made quickly when a change in temperature needs to occur.

n This system makes the building more comfortable for patients. Operating rooms can be cooled down quickly for a surgical procedure after the patient is under anesthesia, and heated quickly following the procedure so the patient isn't cold when he or she wakes up.

n The system provides a cleaner environment through the use of high quality air filters that are monitored for maintenance to determine when replacement filters are needed.

LEED standards also encourage smarter use of water, both inside and out. Hospital officials say "reclaimed water is considered a great potential resource for various non-potable applications such as irrigation for buildings. Piedmont Newnan and the Coweta County Water and Sewerage Authority partnered to purchase an 8-inch force main pipe ('purple pipe') that is over two miles in length and runs from the waste treatment plant to the hospital. This pipe will provide non-potable water for irrigation purposes. According to architectural firm Perkins+Will, this is an innovative initiative for Coweta County."

By the way, the landscaping plan utilizes indigenous plants, drip irrigation and moisture sensors, which are expected to reduce water usage by as much as 50 percent.

Another environmentally-friendly building feature is the use of green (grass) irrigated roofs. Green roof areas are found on the connector from the hospital to the Piedmont Medical Plaza (campus medical office building) on the second floor roof east of the Surgical and Interventional Services reception area, and on the third floor east of the elevator.

To encourage employees to stay healthy and environmentally friendly, the hospital will even provide designated parking spaces for fuel-efficient vehicles, plus bicycle racks and changing rooms for employees who bike to work.

Treatment and patient care will always be the focus of a hospital operation. But achieving LEED certification is just another example of how Piedmont Newnan officials are working to deliver the best health care available anywhere, beginning -- literally -- from the ground up.