TORONTO, April 26, 2017 /CNW/ - Humber River Hospital and its project partners are pleased to announce the facility's achievement of LEED® Gold certification through the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC).
"We designed and built our new hospital on three core principles: Lean, Green and Digital," notes Humber River Hospital President & CEO Barb Collins. "Being certified LEED® Gold is a testament to the work done by the hospital, and our project partners Plenary Health Care Partnerships and PCL Constructors, in respecting our environment throughout the project, carrying over into the actual building performance. Our design compliance partners HOK also played an important role in helping Humber develop its' LEED® strategy. We are grateful to the Canada Green Building Council for certifying that this work was done to a very, very high standard."
One of the most energy efficient acute care hospitals in North America, Humber River Hospital is revolutionizing sustainable healthcare design, with a built environment that is setting the bar for reduction of operating costs and carbon footprint.
"Surpassing the project's intended LEED® Silver classification to achieve LEED® Gold is a testament to the entire collaborative team's relentless pursuit of achieving unprecedented energy efficiency targets to reduce Humber River Hospital's carbon footprint and create a facility that balances energy efficiency and innovative technology, enabling the hospital to focus on its core business of providing exemplary patient care," says Bruce Macpherson, PCL Constructors Canada Inc. (Toronto) Project Director.
Highlights include:
"Congratulations to the entire Humber River Hospital team on surpassing its LEED® Silver target and achieving LEED® Gold certification," says Angela Taylor, Group Head, Buildings Division at Plenary Group. "At Plenary, we believe that investing in environmentally-sustainable infrastructure solutions is a smart, responsible investment. Energy-efficient infrastructure reduces energy and lifecycle costs and results in facilities that our communities can be proud of for decades to come."
Humber River Hospital was delivered under Infrastructure Ontario's Alternative Financing and Procurement (AFP) delivery model in partnership with:
"I would like to congratulate Humber River Hospital and the project team on showing true leadership in the healthcare field by achieving LEED NC 2009 Gold certification," says Thomas Mueller, President and CEO of the Canada Green Building Council. "As one of the most energy efficient acute care hospitals in North America, Humber River Hospital is a strong example of how the shift to a low carbon economy is possible for all building and project types. By committing to green building through LEED, the patients, staff and visitors of this hospital also benefit from a healthier indoor environment which will support patient care and recovery for years to come."
BACKGROUNDER: HUMBER RIVER HOSPITAL
One of the most energy efficient acute care hospitals in North America, Humber River Hospital is revolutionizing sustainable healthcare design, with a built environment that is setting the bar for reduction of operating costs and carbon footprint.
Reducing Carbon Footprint
To deliver Humber River Hospital's lean, green and digital vision, the team was challenged to meet unprecedented energy efficiency targets, including 15 points for LEED® Canada-NC 2009 Credit EA 1: Optimize Energy Performance - a first for an acute care hospital in Canada (17 points were achieved). Not only were these targets 40.1% better than ASHRAE 90.1-2007 standards, the hospital specified 100% fresh air circulation, well above CSA-Z317 standards.
The resulting energy model predicts an annual EUI of 348 ekWh/m2, which is 46.7% lower than typical for hospitals in Canada, and a state-of-the-art HVAC system that pumps 100% fresh air throughout the building. Other energy savings features include the use of heat recovery chillers to provide low temperature heating, condensing boilers, variable-speed fans and pumps, efficient duct design to reduce static pressures, exhaust air heat recovery, a high-performance building envelope that includes increased insulation levels in the roof and walls, automated climate and lighting controls, and a building average lighting power density of 0.75W/sq. ft.
The use of dynamic glass is a major design innovation as a response to solar control, allowing for downsizing of HVAC infrastructure, while maintaining patient privacy. With the ability to change its shading throughout the day dependent on the sun or patient preference, the feature uses less energy, supports infection prevention and control, and at nearly 26,000 square feet, is one of the largest installations in the world.
These design, energy and environmental innovations truly demonstrate Humber River Hospital as the hospital of the future.
Digital Integration and Interoperability
Creating a hospital with complete digital integration and interoperability required the adoption of new technology into building functionality. To support occupant engagement, the hospital is armed with a fully converged Information, Communications and Automation Technology (ICAT) infrastructure that integrates building automation and clinical care into a common network. This simplifies the ability of systems to share digital information; enabling occupants to be mobile and connected: a true revolution for hospitals of the future.
Automated Guided Vehicles
The hospital includes first-in-Canada use of Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs). Programmed to move custom-built carts to carry food, linens, medication, and general supplies throughout the hospital, they are capable of calling elevators, opening doors, picking up loaded carts, and determining timing of each delivery based on their location, priority level of the call and time of day.
Innovative Construction Methods
To further the hospital's lean and green philosophy, PCL's agile thinking led to a solution that reduced critical path of the 43.5-month schedule through utilization of virtual construction technology and offsite modular construction techniques to prefabricate and install 360 patient washrooms and telecommunications/data rooms.
Impressive Safety Record
Not only was the 1.8 million square foot facility delivered on time and on budget, the project was completed with an impressive, industry-leading safety record, with over 5 million hours worked without a lost time injury.
Private Public Partnership
The project was delivered in partnership with Infrastructure Ontario through an alternative financing and procurement (AFP) model, which uses private financing and expertise to strategically build quality infrastructure, on time and on budget, leading North America as the most advanced and active market for public-private partnerships.
ABOUT HUMBER RIVER HOSPITAL
Humber River Hospital is one of Canada's largest acute care hospitals, serving a catchment area of more than 850,000 people in the northwest Greater Toronto Area. North America's first fully digital hospital, it is located at Keele Street and Highway 401 in northwest Toronto.
With a capacity of 656 acute inpatient beds, including 48 critical care beds, the hospital has 3,400 staff, approximately 600 physicians with privileges, and over 500 volunteers. The hospital has formal affiliations with the University of Toronto and Queen's University Medical Schools.
A number of Humber River's programs and services have been, and remain, recognized provincially, nationally and internationally. Learn more about Humber River Hospital online at www.hrh.ca or follow us on Twitter at @HRHospital.
ABOUT PCL CONSTRUCTORS CANADA INC. (TORONTO)
PCL is a group of independent construction companies that carries out work across Canada, the United States, the Caribbean, and in Australia. These diverse operations in infrastructure, heavy industrial, and buildings markets are supported by a strategic presence in 31 major centres. Backed by PCL's 100 year legacy, and with more than four decades of experience in Southwestern Ontario's dynamic construction market, the Toronto office is PCL's largest district with more than 550 of the construction industry's most-talented professionals and an annual construction volume of more than $1.0B. For more information, visit PCL.com.
ABOUT PLENARY GROUP (NORTH AMERICA)
Plenary Group is North America's leading long-term investor, developer and operator of public infrastructure. With a reputation built on having delivered diverse and challenging privately-financed public infrastructure projects, we pride ourselves on innovation and delivering first-class infrastructure on-time and on-budget. With 29 projects throughout the United States and Canada, we're bringing infrastructure to life for government clients and local communities across North America.
SOURCE Humber River Hospital
For media inquiries, or high-resolution photos, please contact: Gerard Power, Director, Public & Corporate Communications, Humber River Hospital, 1235 Wilson Avenue, Toronto ON M3M 0B2, 416 - 242 - 1000 ext. 81607, [email protected]; Liisa Morley, Communications Specialist, PCL Constructors Canada Inc. (Toronto), 647-406-4851, [email protected]; Stephanie Williamson, Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Plenary Group, 604-638-5260, [email protected]
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