A survey on green building in the healthcare construction sector, one of the slower sectors to embrace change, concludes that even here, green building is on the upswing.
60% of respondents see green building as transforming the healthcare construction sector. 19% of respondents expect their organization will be significantly involved with green building in 2008 – more than triple the level for 2007.
The study was conducted by McGraw-Hill Construction, part of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP), in conjunction with Turner Construction Company, the U.S. Green Building Council and Johns Manville.
Respondents indicate the following benefits from green buildings:
– Green healthcare facilities reduce energy use, thus reducing green house gasses and improving air quality
– 47% of respondents said that patient recovery time is reduced in green buildings
– Other benefits include lower operating costs, greater innovation and public relations benefits
Turner Construction Company, co-sponsor of the research and the nation’s leading green builder, is encouraged by the survey respondents’ acceptance of the benefits of green. “We’re seeing a growing consensus that green building brings improvements. Green buildings reduce the amount of energy used and thus reduce the impact buildings have on the environment. In fact, over two-thirds acknowledge energy use is reduced by over 10%,” states Michael Deane, operations manager, Sustainable Construction, Turner Construction Company at Turner.
“With the high level of energy use in healthcare facilities, a reduction in energy use can have a significant impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Despite a perception of a high cost of building green, Turner’s experience has found that on average the true incremental costs for green building healthcare facilities are less than 1%.”
Also, the study found that benefits to patient health and recovery times are an essential part of a healthcare facility’s decision to go green. “It’s clear that the perceived additional cost premium obstacle will be eroded by the overwhelming benefits of green,” says Bernstein. “When 91% of a sample tell you patient well-being is an important reason to build green, 58% tell you it’s the most important reason, and 47% say that patients recover faster in green buildings, it is clear that improved well-being is an important finding that the market cannot afford to ignore if we are going to accelerate green building in this sector.”
The survey of senior healthcare and hospital administrators was collected online from January – February 2007, with a total of 95 respondents. The qualitative findings point to underlying opinions and trends motivating and influencing green building in the healthcare construction sector. Survey respondents were geographically diverse, with nearly equal numbers urban, suburban and rural. Twenty-eight percent were c-level executives.
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