“LEED” CERTIFICATION FOR JOHN A. BURNS SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
Federal recognition for energy efficiency and environmentally-friendly design
The John A. Burns School of Medicine’s Kaka‘ako complex has received national recognition as an environmentally responsible and healthy place to learn and work.
The school has been certified as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) complex. The plaque, presented by the U.S. Green Building Council, was unveiled at the school’s Medical Education Building on December 5, 2008.
LEED recognizes the school of medicine’s accomplishments in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
“The John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) was designed to achieve LEED certification, which verifies environmental performance, occupant health and financial return,” said Dr. Jerris Hedges, JABSOM Dean. “We are proud our complex saves Hawai‘i’s precious resources while also making good economic sense.”
The LEED process involved collaboration among the University of Hawai‘i at M?noa, the architectural and engineering design team and the contractor. They documented steps taken during the design, construction, and post-occupancy to demonstrate how the LEED requirements were met.
“The certification demonstrates the team has implemented sustainable practices into the design, construction and operations of the John A. Burns School of Medicine’s Kaka‘ako complex,” said Francis Blanco, Director of Facilities Management at JABSOM.
“The John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) is to be congratulated for achieving LEED certification,” said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO, Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council. “The certification sends a message the JABSOM cares about the health of the building’s users and employees.”
The benefits at the school cited by the U.S. Green Building Council include:
- Enhanced learning environments for students
- Healthy and productive work environments for staff
- Reduced waste sent to O‘ahu’s landfills (Kaka‘ako site is a former city refuse area)
- Reduced greenhouse gas emissions
- Significant energy and water savings
- Lower operating costs
The Honolulu Board of Water Supply (BWS) helped develop a Cold Seawater Cooling System at the John A. Burns School of Medicine, which saves an estimated 25 million gallons of drinking water and more than $1 million in air conditioning costs every year. The installation of low flow fixtures and occupant sensors at the school reduce the demand on the municipal water supply by more than 20%.
The buildings feature “light shelves” over windows which reflect sunlight inside to reduce the need for artificial lighting. Occupancy motion sensors in the lighting system further conserves the use of electricity.
Even cleaning products used in the building are “green certified”, and the Kulia Grill uses take-out packages and utensils made from recycled material.
The school’s project team included Architects Hawaii Ltd. (Architect and Interior Designer); SSFM International (Structural Engineer); Thermal Engineering Corporation (Mechanical Engineer); Ronald Ho & Associates (Electrical Engineer); Mitsunaga & Associations (Civil Engineer); Miyabara & Associates (Landscape Architect) ENSAR Group (Sustainability Consultants); Marc Siah & Associations (Deep Well Cooling Systems Consultant); Honolulu Cooling Network (BWS District Cooling Consultant); Hawaiian Dredging/Kajima (General Contractor); Thompson Matheny Corporation (Owner’s Project Manager); and Francis Blanco, Director of John A. Burns School of Medicine Facilities.
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Additional information:
US Green Building Council (a nonprofit membership corporation) www.usgbc.org