Colorado Hospital Takes the LEED

By including green building features in its design and practicing environmentally friendly construction, Boulder Community Foothills Hospital, Boulder, Colo., has become the first and only hospital in the United States to earn certification from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system, according to a story in the Denver Post.

The Post reports that a number of green features helped the year-old, 200,000-square-foot hospital campus earn its distinction. During its construction, which was completed last year, smoking was not permitted on site and unfinished ductwork was capped to reduced dust and indoor air pollution.

Workers also installed systems that provided better ventilation, according to the Post.

To earn its LEED certification, the hospital offered recycling bins for C&D debris and achieved a 71 percent material diversion rate during construction, exceeding LEED’s 50 percent minimum, the Post reports.

Other green building features included in the hospital’s design are flaxseed floors, emphasis on letting in natural sunlight and electric car charging ports.

“This is a very environmentally conscious community, and we wanted to reflect that value,” Rich Sheehan, a hospital spokesman, tells the Denver Post. “The hospital is a benchmark for future green buildings.”