News

Its south-facing wall will be wrapped in a giant curtain of glass to trap heat and light. Sensors will automatically turn off the lights in unused rooms. And the eight-storey building will be so energy efficient, the furnace won't go on until the outside temperature drops below -18 C.

When the 360,000-square-foot Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute opens in Edmonton in the fall of 2007, it will be one of the smartest of Canada's smart buildings.

In fact, it is poised to become the first Canadian hospital of its kind to achieve silver LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. To be LEED-certified, a building earns points for design features that promote a healthy environment, reduce costs and prevent waste.

"It's the right thing to do, for our patients and their families, our staff, and for the future of our country," says Deb Gordon, vice-president and chief operating officer of the University of Alberta Hospital.

"There is no doubt that this type of construction may cost more upfront but . . . there is a real cost benefit to pursuing some of these green features," says Ms. Gordon. "We look to be good stewards of public resources."

Planning for the $196-million building started four years ago, and construction has been under way since late 2003. Its many energy-efficient features are expected to save millions of dollars in the coming years.

The building was designed by Stantec Inc., an Edmonton architectural and engineering firm, in conjunction with Kaplan McLaughlin Diaz, a North Carolina-based architecture firm that specializes in designing hospitals and cardiac centres.

The building's biggest, greenest interior tools are seven heat-recovery wheels, which cost a total of $700,000. The wheels will transfer heat from air that is leaving the building to air that is coming in. They will strip up to 78 per cent of the heat from warm air before it is expelled, and will also recover cool, air-conditioned air in the summer months.

The building's most prominent exterior feature is a massive curtain wall of windows curving distinctively around the south face. "The three-inch thick glass will control heat and humidity as well as ensure that the patient rooms and staff offices are flooded with light," Ms. Gordon explains.

Inside the building, automatic sensors will turn off lights in empty rooms, while green spaces on the building's various rooftops will reduce heat reflection. Rainwater will be captured and stored in large underground tanks to be used later.

"The building was designed around a wellness theme of hope and healing, to create the ultimate experience for patients and staff," she says. All hospital staff members, from surgeons to housekeepers, had input into the design and often tour the construction site.

Dr. David Johnstone, clinical director of the institute, says the plan for the building is to be more than just environmentally green.

"This will be one of the most technologically advanced heart institutes in the world . . . For example, we've positioned hallways and clinics to move patients privately and as efficiently as possible. We really want people who use our facility -- our staff, our patients and their families -- to know that we care about them," he adds.

With this in mind, the institute will have a large indoor "healing garden," spanning the fourth- and fifth-floor atrium space and offer a water wall, sculptures, herb garden and peaceful seating areas.

Dr. Johnstone expects the garden will be beneficial to patients and families dealing with difficult decisions and stressful situations.

"We have thought about things a bit differently than the traditional hospital would. We know that a peaceful environment can be therapeutic -- that's why every patient room and staff office will have a view of the outdoors, the outdoor roof gardens or the indoor healing garden."

The 124-bed institute will house operating rooms, patient care units and clinics, and will be one of only a few heart institutes in the world to accommodate both pediatric and adult patients. The Alberta Cardiovascular and Stroke Research Centre will occupy the lower level, where researchers and clinicians will work side-by-side fighting cardiovascular diseases.

The Institute is named after former deputy prime minister Don Mazankowski -- a champion of health care and himself a cardiac patient -- and was funded through a $156-million grant from the Alberta government and a University Hospital Foundation campaign that drew $40-million from donors across Alberta and other parts of Canada.

Smart design for new cardiac centre

Highlights of energy saving features designed for the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute, set to open in Edmonton in the fall of 2007.

Highlights of energy-saving features designed for the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute, set to open in Edmonton in the fall of 2007.

1. Large underground tanks will store collected rainwater for use in landscaping and cleaning tasks.

2. Massive glass wall on southern exposure will help control heat and humidity and flood patients' rooms and staff offices with light.

3. Giant heat recovery wheels will capture heat from the air before it is expelled to outdoors.

4. Green spaces on rooftops will help maintain building temperature and improve indoor air quality.

5. Automatic sensors will turn off lights in unused rooms.

6. Interior stairwells will be bright and accessible to promote use by staff and visitors, instead of elevators. Smart design for new cardiac centre

SOURCE: MAZANKOWSKI ALBERTA HEART INSTITUTE

THE GLOBE AND MAIL