The hospital spans 516,000 square feet and features 14 floors, 168 private patient rooms, 12 operating rooms, radiation therapy and several integrated imaging technologies.

“When planning for Smilow Cancer Hospital began in 2002, sustainable strategies, including LEED certification, were not easily attainable in health care facilities because of their high energy demands and other constraints,” said Marna Borgstrom, president and CEO of Yale-New Haven Hospital. “We are very pleased with this recognition knowing that Smilow Cancer Hospital is the largest healthcare facility in Connecticut to receive LEED certification.”

The hospital, which was completed in 2009, was designed by Boston-based Shepley Bulfinch architecture firm with optimum circulation of natural light in its lobbies, corridors and waiting areas to reduce energy consumption and the use of occupancy sensors in non-patient spaces to further reduce energy usage.

The facility also features pumps with variable speed drives and room pressure monitors to reduce power usage for enhanced air supply.

In addition, reflective roofs, an exterior sun screen on the west façade, a high-efficiency unitized curtain wall system and a terra cotta rain screen all work to reduce heat gain in the building, according to hospital staff.

The hospital’s air handling units were also upgraded to provide improved indoor air quality, low-flow water fixtures, low-VOC paints and finishes, easy-to-clean solid surface finishes and epoxy paints in operating rooms to combat infections effectively. Similarly, an epoxy floor coating has also been used in a number of rooms throughout the facility as epoxy floors are able to withstand heavy traffic while still meeting strict hygiene requirements.

“In addition, construction crews were able to recycle 97.7 percent of construction waste while building Smilow,” Borgstrom said.

In addition to its LEED certification, the hospital also received a 2011 Award of Merit by the Connecticut Green Building Council and a 2010 Award of Merit by the Connecticut Business Journal. The hospital’s 7th floor healing garden received a 2010 Award of Merit from the Connecticut chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects.

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