The Katz Women’s Hospital Post Partum Unit – the fourth floor at North Shore University Hospital recently acheived LEED Platinum certification, the highest rating by the US Green Building Council for its sustainable design, green building materials and energy-efficient systems.
The 73-bed unit features private single rooms for mothers that take advantage of natural light, a well-baby newborn nursery and work areas.
“The Katz Women’s Hospital was designed to achieve LEED certification for energy use, lighting, water and material use as well as incorporating a variety of other sustainable strategies,” said Neil Rosen, director of sustainable development at North Shore-LIJ.
Using a stringent rating system, the USGBC certifies projects Silver, Gold or Platinum. Last year, NSUH’s Katz Women’s Hospital – on the hospital’s third floor — was the first hospital project in New York State to be awarded the Platinum LEED designation.
“Hospitals are power-intensive and use heating and cooling year-round to maintain a complex array of patient care services, so there is an incentive to be energy efficient ,” Rosen said. “Wise energy use translates to significant cost-savings and a lower impact to the environment in terms of emissions and waste. This certification also highlights the ongoing commitment of our senior leadership to continue to raise the bar on our sustainability efforts.”
Other sustainable features of The Katz Women’s Hospital at North Shore include:
Testing indoor air quality to validate compliance with the most stringent standards
One hundred percent of all appliances and computer equipment installed are Energy Star rated.
A comprehensive green cleaning program to maintain the facility.
Solar shading devices that allow daylight in, allowing the space to be heated by the sun in the winter and keeping rooms cooler in the summer months by blocking the sun’s rays.
All paints and coating used contain either low or zero volatile organic compounds.
A special heating, ventilating and air conditioning system that allows all maintenance to be done outside patient rooms;
More than 75 percent of waste generated during construction was recycled.
Under the LEED rating system less than six percent of projects worldwide are platinum certified, and only 46 projects of any type of building in New York State have achieved this rating.
North Shore-LIJ has the following LEED certified projects: two platinum, two gold and seven silver.
