A new Green Star rating tool created especially for the healthcare sector will help reduce the environmental impact of healthcare buildings, improve patient outcomes and staff productivity, as well as achieving real cost savings and adding value, according to the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA).
Robin Mellon, the GBCA’s Green Star executive director, said the move towards green and healthy buildings is consistent with a growing body of research, which suggests that green healthcare facilities improve patient outcomes and reduce health risks to staff.
“International studies include a case study at the Mackenzie Health Sciences
Centre in Canada, which found that depressed patients in sunny rooms recovered
15 per cent faster than those in darker rooms,” Mellon said.
Another study at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Michigan found that applying green design principles such as increased daylight, rooms with external views, more fresh air and better quality ventilation systems, as well as using more natural materials with fewer pollutants in its redevelopment project led to an 11 per cent reduction in secondary infections and a decrease in nursing turnover rates to less than 7 per cent.
“With an emphasis on resource efficiency, green building practices also reduce operating costs and significantly influence a hospital’s tight bottom line. Green buildings routinely save 20-30 per cent on energy costs, use significantly less water, have superior waste management capabilities and lower maintenance costs over their lifetime. What’s more, green buildings are flexible and durable spaces that are ‘future proofed’ against changes to government regulation or building standards,” Mellon said.
The Green Star - Healthcare v1 rating tool evaluates the environmental potential and integrated fit-out of health and aged care facilities. It also assesses major refurbishments of existing facilities.
