'Green' eco-friendly hospital in Boulder, Colo., uses sustainable energy

The Denver Post --Nov. 28--BOULDER, Colo.

Nov. 28--BOULDER, Colo. -- Some of its floors are made of flaxseed. It's surrounded by a wildlife habitat, and there are outlets in the parking lot to charge your electric car.

Those are just a few of the ways that 1-year-old Boulder Community Foothills Hospital is environmentally one of a kind.

The pristine, 200,000- square-foot hospital campus on the city's eastern edge is the country's first to earn certification from the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system, a federal green-building program that fosters the development of sustainable buildings.

Officials for the nonprofit hospital said the center was built to keep pace with the city's aging population, supplementing the original downtown hospital. Its patients will run the gamut, with a section devoted specifically to women.

Boulder Community Foothills remains the only hospital in the U.S. to earn the LEED certification, although ongoing projects in Texas, Pennsylvania and Canada may also achieve the honor after they're completed.

"This is a very environmentally conscious community, and we wanted to reflect that value," said Rich Sheehan, a hospital spokesman. "The hospital is a benchmark for future green buildings." What makes the $75 million campus so special?

The hospital has normal fare -- a 24-hour emergency department, an intensive- care unit, maternity, pediatric, radiology and surgery services -- but laborious steps were taken to ensure a healthier setting for patients and staff, said Kristi Ennis, an architect with Boulder Associates, which handled the hospital's design.

To reduce dust and indoor air pollution during construction, smoking was not allowed on site, unfinished ductwork was capped and tracks were vacuumed before drywall was installed.

Workers also installed mechanical systems that provided more effective and better ventilation, including operable windows.

The hospital also used low-VOC (volatile organic compound) paints, adhesives and carpets to alleviate allergies for future patients.

As for its LEED certification, the hospital offered recycling bins for wood, metal, cardboard and concrete, achieving a waste-diversion rate of 71 percent during construction.

LEED's criteria, which look at a variety of factors when awarding levels of certification, require that 50 percent of construction waste is salvaged or recycled.

"People in a healthy building are happier, employees stay at jobs longer, and that affects patient care," Ennis said.

Also, patients may recover faster when the building they're recuperating in has fewer toxins in the air, more natural sunlight, and spacious and colorful design.

Although builders didn't track the exact cost of exceeding LEED criteria, the U.S. Green Building Council estimates that "certified green" structures typically cost 2 percent more than regular structures.

LEED certification also requires an independent evaluator who, at a cost of about $1 per square foot, makes sure green-friendly blueprints are carried into the building's actual construction.

Finding green vendors for some products, most notably the low-VOC paints, required extensive searching.

Despite the added effort, long-term savings could offset short-term expenses, Ennis said.

A highly efficient power plant provides heat, lighting and hot water. Within 12 years, the ultra-efficient power generator will pay for the initial uptick in its cost.

Lighting with compact fluorescent bulbs adds to energy savings, as does the building's white roof, which reflects summer heat, reducing the demand for air conditioning.

To conserve water, drought-tolerant plants and other Xeriscaping surround the campus, saving about 50 percent on water bills for irrigation.

Additionally, local vendors supplied about 32 percent of the hospital's construction materials, including sandstone from Lyons and gypsum from Gypsum mines, and Boulder-area artists provided the artwork.

The city's historic penchant for open space was also woven into the hospital's design, as the 49-acre site was formerly an undeveloped plot of land.

Thirty-two acres of the property remain untouched, including a picturesque patch of wetlands.

The property is home to a prairie-dog colony, which, for the most part, was undisturbed by construction.

"The fit is very good," said Brent Bean, a senior city planner for Boulder. "It's everyone's values to keep the environment healthy, and (the hospital) promoted that and allowed the natural area near the hospital to thrive."

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