Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Can the healthcare industry stomach the latest LEED rating system?


By Ryan Sparks

Just when you thought the healthcare industry could not possibly be more regulated, there will soon be an additional option for self-imposed oversight with the new LEED for Healthcare Green Building Rating System. This rating system has completed its third public comment period and it is expected to be launched before the end of the year.

Once launched, this new rating system, which is a collaborative effort between the USGBC and Green Guide for Healthcare (GGHC), will provide guidelines for facilities to improve the health of their patients and the planet. While it is widely expected that many of the items in the rating system, such as increasing access to daylight and raising air quality will be widely adopted, there will be some significant obstacles facing this new rating system upon its release:

  • Cost Phobia – Small hospitals and senior care facilities will likely implement any “green” improvement that will reduce their fixed costs, such as more efficient lighting. However, many facilities will simply not have the financial means to finance the overall improvements needed to be certified under the new system.
  • Preexisting Complexities – With so much uncertainty around healthcare reform and other mandatory initiatives, such as implementing electronic healthcare records, it is likely that many organizations may shy away from taking on an additional large-scale initiative.
  • Regulation Fatigue – Healthcare facilities already face regulation at the local, state, and federal level and, as a result, the option to take on one more review may be too much for some organization to handle.


Only time with tell if the healthcare industry will embrace this new rating system or if facilities pick and choose the green initiatives that address their individual needs.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

LEED 4.0


By Jeff Nippes

Whether you embraced or resisted the release of LEED 3.0 (LEED V3 or LEED 2009), one thing is certain, the next version of LEED is already in the works. I can hear some collective groans through cyberspace now. If something is working, why fix it? Or better yet, why do they have to change it now that I have it almost figured out?

First, relax. LEED isn’t changing anytime soon. Most of us are still trying to decipher all the changes that LEED 3.0 brought us, such as: the three tiered credentialing system (though only 2 tiers currently exist), the five specialty designations (BD+C, O+M, ID+C, Homes and ND), a 100 point credit scale for all categories, and regional priority credits.

Change can be painful and sometimes new versions of things are no better than the last. For example, some versions of Microsoft Windows are no better than their predecessors (anyone remember Windows NT?). But the concept of building a system, improving it, and launching new versions will, in the long run, greatly improve that system. If you looked back at all early versions of Widows, it’s hard to imagine how we ever called that an operating system (of course back then we didn’t know what operating system meant either). Perhaps we’ll all look back one day and talk about the early versions of LEED and how the changes brought on by LEED 3.0 helped us improve every subsequent version. We might even wonder how we ever got along without it.