Research from GBCA and the New Zealand Green Building Council has revealed the triple bottom line benefits of green-certified health facilities following a review of national and international healthcare facilities.

With hospitals typically using at least twice energy and around six times as much water per square meter than commercial office buildings, The Case for Sustainable Healthcare highlights the environmental and economic importance of delivering more efficient healthcare facilities. The report found that Green Star certified hospital buildings delivered significant energy and water savings, resulting in large cost savings. Some examples referenced in the report include:

• New South Wing of Flinders Medical Centre in South Australia, a five-star Green Star-certified building, saved $400,000 a year thanks to a solar-heated hot water system. It also reduced water consumption 20 per cent through rainwater harvesting
• Queensland’s newly opened $1.8bn Sunshine Coast University Hospital is tipped to operate at 40 per cent lower peak energy demand when it is fully occupied in 2021

The report also reveals the significant health benefits that green buildings deliver for hospital patients including: 15 per cent faster recovery for people with depression when they were cared for in facilities with natural sunlight; a 30 per cent drop in medical errors in better designed rooms; and a 41 per cent shorter average stay for patients in sunny rooms compared to those without access to natural light.

GBCA and NZGBC run world-leading Green Star certification programs that recognise the quality of design, construction and operation of sustainable buildings. Overall, Green Star-certified buildings and communities use 66 per cent less electricity than average Australian city buildings, half the potable water than minimum requirements, and produce 62 per cent lower greenhouse gas emissions.

More information here