Greenest Hospital in the State of Wisconsin
On November 1, 2010, Aurora Health Care opened its latest state-of-the-art medical center in Grafton. For nearly two years, Building Advantage members worked tirelessly to get this project done on time and on budget. Suffice to say, the project made its deadline, and the completed project is the greenest hospital in the state of Wisconsin.
When Aurora began planning the medical center, the planning team was committed to building to LEED certification specifications — unique for hospitals, since LEED wasn't developed with specific criteria for the healthcare industry. Since the groundbreaking the new medical center at Grafton has been a "green" project. In virtually every phase of existence from construction through furnishing, sustainable or green elements have been applied. Despite its challenges the reward for the community, environment and patients was worth the effort.
"Aurora's efforts dovetail nicely with the wishes of the Grafton community," said Peter Balistrieri, Strategic Communications Manager for Aurora Health Care. "In 2007, the Village of Grafton's Finance Committee embraced and endorsed green efforts in their community. A green framework has been recommended for all Grafton projects including Build Green, Save Green, Power Green, Buy Green, Drive Green and Promoted Green."
By the Numbers
Although sustainable building practices are a noble goal, ultimately the numbers matter most. That's where green buildings shine. On the Grafton project alone, nearly 90 percent of construction waste was recycled, the building will use 35 percent less energy than the average U.S. hospital, and electricity savings alone could power more than 200 Wisconsin homes. Those numbers and the benefit to the community are what made a project of this size in the timeline it was given more than worthwhile.
"Having the right tools and people in place that embrace our goals allowed us to achieve them," added Balistrieri. "We know everyone from the designers to the trades people needed to have a solid understanding of why we set out to make the greenest hospital in the state. Their commitment to making it happen is inspiring."
Success of Past Projects
In the summer 2009 issue of this newsletter, we talked about the Aurora Medical Center in Summit and how Building Advantage members helped make it possible. Many contractors and trades people that worked on the Summit project lent their expertise and workmanship to the Aurora Medical Center at Grafton. Using workers who already built a similar structure was an efficient and effective way for Aurora Health Care to have confidence in reaching its green-building goals.
"Mortenson was ready, willing and more than capable of undertaking two hospital projects at the same time," said Ben Goetter, Project Manager with Mortenson Construction. "Our partnership with Aurora and the crafts workers onsite gave us the ability to confidently perform the work. I believe we met Aurora's expectations, and we are looking forward to seeing how the medical center benefits future generations and the community."
Green Building
Sustainable building practices help our industry and communities be stewards ofthe environment. They impact the bottom line in multiple ways, and the trend for customers committing to building to LEED specifications continues to grow.
When an entity like Aurora takes on a $184 million project, it has to ensure that LEED certification specifications are followed every step of the way. From choosing the right contractors to building materials to trades people, every detail is scrutinized and no decision is taken lightly.
The end goal for Aurora was to build a facility that took sustainability to new levels for the healthcare industry. This goal is paramount for all trades people involved in the project, and even a small mistake can make or break the customer's building plan.
"When our members work on a project that is working toward LEED specifications, it is very important they understand why they are doing what they are doing," explained Dan Large, Business Manager for Electrical Workers Local 494. "We all understand that it comes down to the individual, but in the end it's how we communicate with our contractors and customers that makes a project successful."
A Job Well Done
"We are very proud of the work we've accomplished here at Aurora – Grafton," added Goetter. "This project had a very demanding schedule, budget and quality expectations, but thanks to many team members' efforts, we were successful.
"This project was a great example of everyone coming together to work toward a single goal: build the best hospital," said Goetter. "I believe everyone involved feels a great sense of pride and satisfaction, and that's the best reward for working as hard as we all did."
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