Consulting-Specifying Engineer - September 2007 - (Page 18)

In The News NEWS AND TRENDS Healthcare facilities go green, combat energy waste The Green Patient Room, a healthcare exhibit using ecologically friendly design and materials and designed to show just how green hospital facilities can go, will be featured at the International Facility Management Assn.’s World Workplace 2007 Conference & Expo, Oct. 24 through Oct. 26, in New Orleans. Created by architectural firm Anshen+Allen, San Francisco, in conjunction with the IFMA Health Care Council and Corporate Realty, Design & Construction, the exhibit was unveiled earlier this year at D&D Communications Group’s Commercial Construction Show in Chicago. It was developed to illustrate how sustainable design practices improve patient care. The room also serves as an educational tool for healthcare administrators, showing how they can adopt green practices now. “To my knowledge, no one has done a green patient room as an educational exhibit prior to this,” said Gary Collins, AIA, president of the IFMA Health Care Council and associate principal for Anshen+Allen. “It may not happen overnight, but this display will help hospital personnel learn how to update their facilities with the latest in green products, whether they want to undertake a multi-phase remodel or go green one component at a time.” Green Patient Room is divided into three unique zones: patient, family and staff. Each zone is meant to improve patient care by increasing comfort and minimizing disorder and stress. The room also takes steps to combat energy waste and improve patient health. Low-flow rate faucet aerators, showerheads and toilets reduce water consumption. High-performance lighting, glass and insulation systems utilize natural light and reduce energy costs. Non-toxic materials low in volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions are used throughout the room to improve air quality and speed patient recovery. The result is a room founded on evidence-based design (EBD) principles, meaning the dynamic of the room itself can contribute to patient care and encourage the healing process. For more information about the Green Patient Room exhibit, go to www. worldworkplace.org. ARI chairman’s goal: solve world’s energy issues Speaking on Aug. 22 to an audience of air conditioning and refrigeration engineers attending the International Congress of Refrigeration in Beijing, Robert Wilkins, president of Danfoss, Inc. and 2007 chairman of the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI), issued a call to action for the air conditioning and commercial refrigeration industry. He appealed to the delegates for greater research and technology development to help solve the world’s energy and environmental challenges. The global air conditioning and refrigeration industry has a vital mandate to address energy supply, efficiency and environmental challenges, Wilkins said. Historically, actions by this industry have led to revolutionary benefits for societies worldwide. These improvements to quality of life include dramatic lessening of environmental impact of refrigerants; increased global workplace productivity through indoor comfort and health; greatly increased access to fresher food supplies through commercial and mobile refrigeration; and significantly improved safety and longevity of medical supplies through refrigeration. “How we address these challenges will determine where we will be as an industry when we approach the middle of the 21st century,” was the message Wilkins delivered in Beijing. Wilkins outlined a vision of an industry energy and environmental program based on four tenets: energy efficiency, responsible refrigerant use, standards development and performance certification. He highlighted several key points to demonstrate the industry’s impressive progress including the following: Products manufactured by this industry are more efficient than they have ever been, he claimed, as air conditioning and refrigeration equipment accounts for about one-third of the annual energy usage in developed countries with hot climates. ARI’s Responsible Refrigerant Use Initiative, Wilkins said, is ensuring that the industry’s most widely used refrigerants— those using HFCs—remain available for vital applications. He also noted the importance of ARI performance standards and certification as a way to ensure quality, performance and efficiency in HVAC/R products around the world. “Only those whose products have undergone rigorous, third-party testing can actually prove that their products are as efficient as advertised. That is the way to ensure maximum energy efficiency,” Wilkins said. 18 Consulting-Specifying Engineer • SEPTEMBER, 2007 http://www.worldworkplace.org http://www.worldworkplace.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Consulting-Specifying Engineer - September 2007

Contents M/E Roundtable Cover Story: Airborne Superbugs Third-Party Liability Back to School Product Spotlight Codes & Standards Professional Practices How To New Products Jobs/Cliassifieds Specifier’s Notebook Pure Power Supplement New Technologies, Same Old Transmission Problems Wireless Battery Recharging Solar Concentration Renewables Tracking System A Mighty Wind The Importance of Load Bank Testing Quality Power for Security Systems

Consulting-Specifying Engineer - September 2007

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