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Boulder
Community Foothills Hospital
Boulder, Colorado
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Studies: Green Buildings> Boulder Community Foothills Hospital
Green and Silver Concrete Hospital
 Dedicated
in September 2003, the $53M Boulder Community Foothills Hospital became
the first hospital in the nation to receive LEED certification from the
U.S. Green Building Council. The hospital was awarded a Silver Rating.
Designed by OZ Architecture and Boulder Associates, with environmental
consulting by Boulder-based Architectural Energy Corporation, the 200,000
square-foot, 60-bed facility features many environmental innovations,
including a super-efficient power plant, roofing material that reflects
solar heat gain to reduce air-conditioning costs, high-performance windows,
and even waterless urinals.
 The
hospital was carefully placed in the landscape to conserve a wildlife
corridor near Boulder Creek. The project location in east Boulder is convenient
to bus lines and bike paths that provide alternatives to auto congestion.
Extensively landscaped grounds use low-water plantings that create wildlife
habitat.
The structural system used in this project was carefully considered for
functionality as well as environmental impact. The City of Boulder height
restrictions, coupled with the site topography, equated to a building
height limit of 46 feet measured from the first floor to the top of the
parapet. Based on this height limit, the building was designed with a
floor-to-floor height of 14 feet. Two floor options were evaluated: a
cast-in-place conventionally reinforced concrete system and a composite
concrete deck-steel beam system. With the floor-to-floor dimension fixed,
and allowing for a 10 foot clear ceiling height, the structural depth
of the composite floor system allowed for an approximately 18-inch plenum
space. Because of the thinner structural depth, the 10.5-inch flat-slab
concrete option yielded an enormous 38 inches of plenum space. Looking
to house substantial M/E/P systems in the plenum space, the project team
quickly settled on the cast-in-place concrete option for the hospital
building frame and floor systems.
Spanning typical building bays of 28 by 28 feet, 18-inch square concrete
columns support the 10.5-inch thick flat slab. Square drop panels ranging
in size from 30 to 36 inches added four more inches enhancing the slab
shear capacity at the columns. Floor deflection and vibration is a major
concern with steel floor systems, especially under sensitive medical equipment.
The concrete floor mass and monolithic construction addressed the design
teams concern with deflection and vibration. “There was a requirement
to coordinate rebar locations with the MRI equipment” says David
Schafer, Project Architect with OZ Architecture.
Stair and elevator shafts are cast-in-place concrete and provide 100%
of the lateral force resistance and building stability. Higher strength
concrete provides the added stiffness to control building drift without
additional shear walls. Flexibility in selecting concrete strengths was
put to full use with 3000-psi foundations, 4000-psi columns, 5000-psi
floor slabs, and 6000-psi concrete core and shear walls.
 Optimizing
the concrete mix design for long term durability, the project team incorporated
fly ash to enhance field performance and facilitate obtaining LEED points
for recycled content. Fly ash dosage varied from 0% to 25% of cementitious
materials in order to keep the construction crews and schedules on track.
Harvested and manufactured locally, concrete is a good environmental choice,
eliminating the environmental impacts of transporting it from other regions.
With concrete contributions to LEED silver rating, the project obtained
a total of 33 LEED points, including 5 points for a 35% improvement in
energy performance over ASHRAE 90.
 To
develop the image as an integral part of the community, the hospital took
its exterior design cues from nearby masonry buildings, and the abundant
sandstone found in the region. Selected for their warmth and to complement
the natural setting, the materials relate well to nearby buildings. Brick
and stone were logical environmental choices as well, because they are
locally harvested and manufactured with a long lifespan, and minimal maintenance
requirements.
Concrete helped the design team achieve their goal of looking at the
big picture of healthy communities. With unparalleled durability and energy
characteristics, this LEED silver building will save energy and resources,
reduce indoor air pollution, increase employee productivity, increase
patient comfort and save money in the long run.
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Owner:
Boulder Community Hospital, Boulder, CO
Architects:
OZ Architecture and Boulder Associates
Structural Engineer: Monroe Newell Engrs. Inc.
General Contractor:
Gerald H. Phipps
Energy Consultant: Architectural Energy Corp.
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