‘There are basically no challenges in maintaining a green hospital’

Ruby Hall Clinic, Wanowrie, Pune received a LEED cerification with a gold rating last year. Bomi Bhote, its CEO, talks about the measures undertaken to create and maintain a green hospital, in an interaction with Lakshmipriya Nair

Ruby Hall Clinic, Wanowrie has received IGBC’s LEED certification with a gold rating. What were the parameters under consideration?

The following parameters were considered:

• Sustainable Site
• Water Efficiency
• Energy & Atmosphere
• Indoor Environmental Quality
• Innovation in design
• Material & Resources

What are the measures/ steps implemented at the hospital which serve to make it a green hospital?

We undertook the following measures under each parameter to make Ruby Hall, Wanowrie a green hospital.

Sustainable Sites

• Appropriate site selection with all basic amenities and services within the range of half mile from the site
• Reduced pollution and land development impact from automobile use
• Three per cent of parking place with electric charging facility
• Total suspended solids (TSS) removal strategies implemented at site
• Helped reduce TSS in roof and surface runoff water
• Erosion and sedimentation traps were laid at site during construction
• Directed the water into the pond and reduced erosion

Water Efficiency

• Reduced potable water consumption for landscaping through using native and drought tolerant plants, drip irrigation system
• Recycled (STP) water is used for more than 50 per cent of cooling tower water requirement to limit the use of potable water for AC make-up
• 100 per cent of waste water are treated on site with tertiary standards by using sewage treatment plant
• Use of high efficiency fixtures such as ultra flow water closet, sensor based urinals and tap to reduce fresh water demand

Energy & Atmosphere

• HFC 134a is used in water cooled chiller which is CFC and HCFC free and hence it helps reduce ozone depletion
• Highly efficient HVAC systems with continuous monitoring of the performance by temperature and RH sensor connected to BMS system
• Energy efficient lighting fixtures and occupancy sensors are used which reduces electricity consumption
• Use of energy and water meters to verify energy and water consumption for proper measurement and verification

Material & Resources

• More than 75 per cent waste reused or recycled
• Construction debris reused in other project sites
• Building materials and products used have been extracted and manufactured within 400 km from Pune
• Waste segregation at source was adopted at the time of construction and separate bins were provided to collect the same
• Unused waste was segregated separately and sold to waste recycler for reuse

Indoor Environment Quality

• Campus declared as ‘Smoking Free Zone’ and is being followed religiously
• Fresh air designed as per ASHRAE standards have been adopted. CO2 sensors placed at appropriate locations to monitor indoor air quality
• Green products used such as low VOC content paints for interior work and low VOC content sealant, adhesive
  for flooring, glazing, HVAC duct etc.
• Designed for a comfortable thermal environment by maintaining temperature and relative humidity that promotes productivity and well being

Ruby Hall Clinic has been able to optimise its life cycle cost by 20 per cent YOY with a slight increase in capital expenditure.

What are the challenges involved in creating and maintaining a green hospital on a day-to-day basis?

There are basically no challenges in maintaining a green hospital. It is similar to running a regular hospital. It is just necessary that you engage with a qualified operations and maintenance partner.

What are the major benefits accrued out of being a green hospital?

Being a green hospital has several benefits such as:

Economic

• Lower operating costs through Energy and water savings
• Increased property value
• Decreased infrastructure strain
• Improve competitive position
• Secure its own funds

Environment

• Reduced emission levels and reduced risks to human health
• Water conservation
• Storm water management
• Temperature moderation
• Waste reduction
• Open, clean and green spaces

Social

• Quicker patient recovery
• Increased access to quality healthcare for society
• Increase volunteers or donations
• Increased brand identity

People

• Increased employee attendance
• Increased employee productivity
• Improved safety and security
• Reduction in attrition rates
• Very good recognition in society

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