Firm foundations for sustainability

But how can engineers, and those others in the healthcare sector responsible for the environmental aspects of new schemes, meet the current requirements, and what factors must be considered? Rob Pratt, director at independent engineering consultant Henderson Green, explains how BREEAM Healthcare can help organisations achieve a clean bill of health.

Society as a whole is demonstrating a stronger than ever desire to be green, and the healthcare sector is no exception. It is not only financial costs that are now taken into consideration when new buildings or refurbishment projects are being planned; environmental costs too top the agenda. But knowing what to specify, and what to avoid, can be daunting, which is where BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) Healthcare enters the equation. This unique assessment is designed to help construction professionals and clients alike understand and mitigate the environmental impacts of the developments they design and build, and this is advocated at Government level. Consultants such as Henderson Green – sustainable designers and specialists in hospital design – work with construction professionals and architects to help them achieve the ratings required for new healthcare buildings and refurbishments. Sustainable development can be defined as development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising future generations’ ability to meet their own needs. Guidelines are essential if the very best is to be achieved and, in these rapidly changing times, the importance of sustainability in healthcare buildings cannot be underestimated.

Sustainability and the NHS