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Issue link: https://mcdmag.epubxp.com/i/206370
A curtainwallenclosed atrium at the main entrance includes terraced balconies. MANY INSTITUTIONS ARE FACED WITH AGING INFRASTRUCTURE AND INEFFICIENT BUILDINGS. To expand and improve revenuegenerating space, in some instances, networks look to alternate sources to fund construction of projects. Options available include government financing and partnering with a developer to obtain expansion without capital investment for initial construction. How institutions view the facility design processes is becoming increasingly more holistic. There is a growing understanding of the value of the built environment's ability to convey brand, to attract and positively impact patients and clinicians, to provide care in safe and comfortable surroundings, to influence outcomes, to operate more efficiently and to use resources more economically. Incorporation of Evidence-Based Design approaches to help ensure long-term success is common. There is significant interest in reducing operating costs, such as through reduced consumption of water and energy. In addition, more networks are making formalized commitments to the environment, resulting in the development of safer and healthier buildings. Located just over 20 miles from Philadelphia in East Norriton, Pa., Einstein Medical Center Montgomery reflects all of these industry-wide developments. The replacement facility is the first new hospital built in southeastern Pennsylvania in more than a decade. Widely recognized for a strong design vision that celebrates the site's natural beauty and prioritizes human and environmental wellness, the center opened in September 2012 and recently achieved LEED-NC Silver certification. www.mcdmag.com A distinct entrance on the building's north side provides a convenient experience for beneficiaries of outpatient services. Meeting green goals The sustainable aspects of Einstein Medical Center Montgomery are seen as a logical extension of the Einstein Network's mission to care for people — to "First Do No Harm," and long-term, multi-faceted thinking is seen in the sustainable planning of the facility. While the formal project goal was to achieve LEED Silver certification, the team strove to not let the LEED scorecard inform the design. Instead, the approach was to incorporate components that met the goals of the client, including operational excellence that could then also be used to achieve a LEED credit. A primary goal was to support the use of nature as an instrument of health in response to the field of emerging research, which has demonstrated its beneficial impact on the healing process. In addition to being aesthetically pleasing, the site's landscaping design restores the natural ecology through the introduction of irrigation-free native and adapted vegetation and a comprehensive stormwater management approach with a series of connected November/December 2013 | Medical Construction & Design 31