Katz Women’s Hospital at North Shore Earns LEED Platinum Green Building Certification for Second Time
MANHASSET, NY (PRWEB) July 11, 2013 -- The North Shore-LIJ Health System announced today that The Katz Women’s Hospital Post Partum Unit – the fourth floor at North Shore University Hospital (NSUH) -- earned the prestigious LEED® Platinum certification, the highest rating by the US Green Building Council (USGBC) for its sustainable design, green building materials and energy-efficient systems. 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.
Using a stringent rating system, the USGBC certifies projects Silver, Gold or Platinum. The Katz Women’s Hospital, which occupies three floors, recently earned Platinum LEED® certification for its fourth floor renovation project.
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.
“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 ,” said Mr. Rosen. “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,” Mr. Rosen added.
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;
• 100 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;
• and, more than 75 percent of waste generated during construction was recycled.
Under the LEED® rating system worldwide, less than six percent of projects 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.
Betty Olt, North Shore-LIJ Health System, 516-465-2645, [email protected]
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