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On Martha’s Vineyard, where building resources are far more limited than on the mainland, North Reading-based Columbia Construction Inc. and Harvard-based Solar Design Associates Inc. have teamed to plan and build what could be the state’s first LEED Silver-certified hospital.
The 90,000-square-foot project, which was originally conceived in 2004 as an upgrade to the existing Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, is nearing completion, and organizers are preparing to submit their certification criteria to the U.S. Green Building Council. Credits for the design features of the facility will be submitted next week, while construction credits will be submitted once the project is completed, sometime in early 2010, according to Neil Lemieux, manager of pre-construction for Columbia Construction.
One highlight of the new facility is the array of 200 solar panels that will provide 45 kilowatts of power, or about 35 percent of the building’s needs. The panels were provided by California-based SunPower Corp. and use a unique, high-efficiency material developed by the company, which it claims can produce efficiency levels of more than 17 percent. The industry standard for photovoltaic efficiency is about 14 percent.
The solar aspect of the project is expected to cost about $375,000, with $195,000 in funding coming from the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust, according to the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, the agency that oversees the trust.
Other features include a roof garden that both acts as an insulator and functions as a “wellness” area for patients, the use of thermo-efficient roofing materials, and a modern water system that officials expect can cut the water usage at the facility by 31 percent.
But while the group, which includes architects Thomas, Miller & Partners PLLC of Tennessee, is looking forward to the LEED Silver rating, officials said there were other factors that drove the sustainability strategy.
“The people on this island are every aware of sustainability — the island is very limited in its resources,” said Lemieux. “The sustainability strategy was at the forefront from the very beginning and has been driven by the local community.”
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a status given to buildings and other facilities that meet specific environmental requirements as standardized by the U.S. Green Building Council. Different certification levels — Certified, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum — have been established for different kinds of sustainability. In Massachusetts, there are 27 Silver-rated facilities, none of which are hospitals, according to the U.S. Green Building Council’s database.
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