Integrating Sustainable Design

Integrating Sustainable Design into the healthcare industry, particularly senior living facilities has been slow. The attached article is a good cursory review of the benefits - financial, social and environmental of why we as an industry should push forward and take the next step. The analogy provided using the Toyota Prius is an exceptional one – providing just cause as to why we need to look beyond the short-term issues and pay more attention to the long-term positioning of each senior care facility, not to mention what we are going to leave future generations.

The side bar, “Tools for the Task,” outlines a couple of the reference design tools available to the industry and I am versed with the opportunities that the USGBC LEED Rating System can provide, (see previous blog entries on the Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center a LEED Silver Building designed by THW). and the GGHC – Green Guidelines for Healthcare. Although the GGHC is geared more towards Hospital design and USGBC is piloting a LEED for Healthcare System of their own, both can be applied towards Senior Care Facilities and to help this effort THW is working on a Sustainable Checklist for Senior Facilities to accomplish those goals – this can also be viewed within an earlier blog entry.

Please take the time to read this article and feel free to contact me with any questions or comments as THW would like to assist in any way possible to keep this overall industry movement moving forward.

Greening THW: a Paradigm Shift

THW has embarked on a firm wide transformation to become a Green Firm, not only designing Green and/or Sustainable Projects but incorporating those same aspects into our new office space and the way the firm operates. We will be seeking LEED Certification for our new office space to provide a healthy work environment in concert with the Vitalife Principles. We invite you to come see our new space once completed and see, feel, smell and experience what it means to be in a green designed space.

In conjunction with this paradigm shift, we are conducting firm wide education seminars to bring awareness to all of our staff so that Green Design and the principles of Vitalife become second nature to all of us. I have attached a couple of the presentations for your viewing pleasure, should you have any questions or comments – I would be more than happy to discuss them with you.