GWV Critical Care Building receives Silver LEED certification
Sept. 26, 2009, WILKES-BARRE – Geisinger Wyoming Valley’s Critical Care Building has been awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver Certification for new construction, joining several newly constructed buildings at Geisinger with the prestigious LEED designation.
The five-story, 178,000-square-foot building opened in September 2008 on the East campus of Geisinger Wyoming Valley. It houses an expanded 32-bed emergency department, Level 2 trauma program, rooftop helipad, 12 high-tech surgical suites with robotics, 24-bed intensive care unit and shelled space on the top floor for future growth.
“We are extremely proud of this rating. It reflects our commitment to ensure the well-being of patients, employees and our community,” said Steven Pierdon, M.D., chief medical officer, Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center.
Administered by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED is a voluntary rating system that defines, measures and certifies buildings that are environmentally responsible, economically efficient and healthy. LEED is a nationally accepted standard for certifying high-performance green buildings with a minimal environmental footprint.
“Creating a sustainable 24/7 acute care facility of this magnitude was extremely difficult because emergency departments typically use an exorbitant amount of energy,” said Bill Gladish, Geisinger’s director of construction. “And operating room environments are stereotypically ‘energy hogs’ to support around-the-clock, high-tech robotic and minimally invasive equipment.”
Additional complexity and design restrictions were inherent in the project because of the nature of healthcare construction as compared to office buildings, which have more flexibility with solar orientation, shape and materials to accommodate green construction, according to Gladish.
“With team work, we built a structure that reduces Geisinger’s environmental impact immediately, saving about $100,000 per year in energy consumption in this building, as opposed to a comparable facility that is not LEED certified,” said Denise Thompson, AIA, LEED AP, who served as LEED captain for architecture firm Francis Cauffman.
According to the USGBC website, which lists all LEED-certified buildings, Geisinger owns 39% of all LEED registered or certified healthcare buildings in Pennsylvania. Completed Geisinger LEED projects include the Henry Hood Center for Health Research in Danville (silver certification), which opened in March 2007, and Geisinger-Gray’s Woods in State College (gold certification), which opened in August 2008. Three additional LEED projects are currently in varying stages of construction.
About Geisinger Health System
Founded in 1915, Geisinger Health System (Danville, PA) is one of the nation’s largest integrated health services organizations. Serving more than two million residents throughout central and northeastern Pennsylvania, the physician-led organization is at the forefront of the country's rapidly emerging electronic health records movement. Geisinger is comprised of two medical center campuses, three hospitals, a 740-member group practice, a not-for-profit health insurance company and the Henry Hood Center for Health Research—dedicated to creating innovative new models for patient care, satisfaction and clinical outcomes. For more information, visit www.geisinger.org.
About Francis Cauffman
Architecture firm Francis Cauffman has provided buildings for major health systems, academic and scientific institutions, pharmaceutical companies, corporations, and government agencies since 1954. The firm’s experienced professionals include architects, planners and interior designers who are widely known for buildings producing break-through research and creativity. Francis Cauffman has worked with major health systems including Johns Hopkins Hospital, University of Pennsylvania Health System, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. For more information, visit www.franciscauffman.com.
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