Sustainable Design for Health Care Facilities

Colby Moeller is interested in energy efficient design that responds to the local climate and the site. It begins with an understanding of the sun's apparent movement in the sky and extends to thermodynamics. By understanding and working with the quantifiable principles that lead to thermal comfort, a deeper connection to place can be realized.

Applying sustainable principles to the design of a new heath care facility. Located in Civano, a sustainable community, the hospital demonstrates efficient utilization of resources. Based upon the principle of human thermal comfort, the design emphasizes integration with the surrounding environment by focusing on the relationship of the indoor and outdoor spaces. The effective use of adjacent open air spaces, transitional spaces, and courtyards is designed to maximize thermal comfort by working with the local climate to create comfortable microclimates around the building. Rincon Community Hospital at Civano also demonstrates the application of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) during the design process. The design utilizes passive solar design, daylighting, earth cooling, and building orientation to create comfortable environments for human occupation that require less energy than specified by ASHRAE Standard 90.1 1999. It is hoped that this methodology can be used in future development of sustainable healthcare facilities in desert environments that create healthy natural environments to aid patient healing and accelerate the recovery process.