Humber River Hospital Achieves LEED® Gold Certification

Humber River Hospital and its project partners are pleased to announce the facility’s achievement of LEED® Gold certification through the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC).

“We designed and built our new hospital on three core principles: Lean, Green and Digital,” notes Humber River Hospital President & CEO Barb Collins. “Being certified LEED® Gold is a testament to the work done by the hospital, and our project partners Plenary Health Care Partnerships and PCL Constructors, in respecting our environment throughout the project, carrying over into the actual building performance. Our design compliance partners HOK also played an important role in helping Humber develop its LEED® strategy. We are grateful to the Canada Green Building Council for certifying that this work was done to a very, very high standard.”

One of the most energy efficient acute care hospitals in North America, Humber River Hospital is revolutionizing sustainable healthcare design, with a built environment that is setting the bar for reduction of operating costs and carbon footprint. 

“Surpassing the project’s intended LEED® Silver classification to achieve LEED® Gold is a testament to the entire collaborative team’s relentless pursuit of achieving unprecedented energy efficiency targets to reduce Humber River Hospital’s carbon footprint and create a facility that balances energy efficiency and innovative technology, enabling the hospital to focus on its core business of providing exemplary patient care,” says Bruce Macpherson, PCL Constructors Canada Inc. (Toronto) Project Director.

Highlights include:

• Commissioned building systems which demonstrate unprecedented energy efficiency targets:
  • Design energy use intensity (EUI) of 348 ekWh/m2
  • 17 points for LEED® Canada-NC 2009 Optimized Energy
  • 47% lower than the Energy Star Portfolio Manager Canada target for hospitals
• 100% fresh air circulation, well above CSA-Z317 standards 
• 20% of materials used to construct the facility contained recycled content and 46% were sourced regionally
• 96% of construction waste was diverted from landfill
• 38% of the project’s total site area includes vegetated open space
• 33% water use reduction and water efficient landscaping using captured rainwater
• Vegetated roof and reflective roofing materials to reduce heat island effect

“Congratulations to the entire Humber River Hospital team on surpassing its LEED® Silver target and achieving LEED® Gold certification,” says Angela Taylor, Group Head, Buildings Division at Plenary Group. “At Plenary, we believe that investing in environmentally-sustainable infrastructure solutions is a smart, responsible investment. Energy-efficient infrastructure reduces energy and lifecycle costs and results in facilities that our communities can be proud of for decades to come.”

Humber River Hospital was delivered under Infrastructure Ontario’s Alternative Financing and Procurement (AFP) delivery model in partnership with:

• Owner: Humber River Hospital
• Lead Sponsor and Financial Arranger: Plenary Group
• Design-Builder and Construction Manager: PCL Constructors Canada Inc. (Toronto)
• Architect: HDR Architecture Associates Inc.
• Facilities Management: Johnson Controls
• Sustainability Consultant: MMM Group Limited
• Mechanical/Electrical Consultant: Smith + Andersen
• Structural Consultant: WSP Canada Inc./Halsall
• Mechanical Contractor: Modern Niagara Toronto Inc.
• Electrical Contractor: Plan Electric
• Civil Engineer: A.M. Candaras Associates Inc.
• Landscape Architect: Quinn Design Associates

“I would like to congratulate Humber River Hospital and the project team on showing true leadership in the healthcare field by achieving LEED NC 2009 Gold certification,” says Thomas Mueller, President and CEO of the Canada Green Building Council. “As one of the most energy efficient acute care hospitals in North America, Humber River Hospital is a strong example of how the shift to a low carbon economy is possible for all building and project types. By committing to green building through LEED, the patients, staff and visitors of this hospital also benefit from a healthier indoor environment which will support patient care and recovery for years to come.”