MaineGeneral Medical Center
Augusta, ME – The Integrated Project Delivery Team (IPD), consisting of owner, MaineGeneral Medical Center, joint venture architectural firms SMRT and TRO/Jung Brannen, Inc., and joint venture construction team of HP Cummings Construction Company/Robins & Morton recently completed MaineGeneral Alfond Center for Health in Augusta.
The new 644,000sf hospital, which opened in 2013, is the first healthcare facility in Maine and only the second in the nation to be built successfully to the new 2010 LEED gold for Healthcare standards.
“As a healthcare organization, it is incredibly important to us that we provide a safe, healthy facility and that we set a standard for ensuring a healthy environment now and into the future,” said Chuck Hays, MaineGeneral Health president and CEO. “We want to be responsible stewards of our community.”
Through the utilization of IPD and Lean principles, the project team was able to meet MaineGeneral Health’s goal of significantly reducing the cost of energy consumption while creating a hospital environment that would meet the highest benchmark standards for patient wellness, multiple engineering initiatives were introduced.
Sustainable elements of the project include:
Energy:
- Natural gas utilized instead of fuel oil, resulting in significant fuel savings annually.
- LED outside lighting and high-efficiency light fixtures throughout the facility.
- Interior lighting that turns on automatically when someone enters the room and turns off after a brief delay when the system senses the room is empty.
Water – Rainwater collection and reuse to recycle storm water used as process water.
- Reduction in water usage by minimizing the potable water requirements of the project’s medical equipment, building equipment, and food waste systems.
MATERIALS
- Low maintenance sheet vinyl and rubber flooring eliminates need to wax the floors.
- Implemented an extensive recycling plan and successfully diverted over 80 percent of construction waste from local landfills.
- Special attention was given to using recycle-based materials and materials sourced within a 500-mile radius.
AIR QUALITY
- The construction team implemented a detailed Construction Air Quality Management Plan to minimize harmful toxins or particles from the building, thus ensuring the health of workers and future occupants.
- Only low-emitting paints, coatings, sealants, adhesives, and flooring systems were used for the project to minimize odors and toxins from entering the facility.
