PHOTO TOUR: San Francisco Surgical Arts

October 12, 2012 by Posted by Kristin D. Zeit, Editor-in-Chief
| Reprints
To make the lobby an inviting, comfortable place for waiting patients, the new facility strives to dispel the typical feel of a “cold” surgical office. Instead, the doctors and design team developed a warm, spa-like feel with the use of earth-tone pastel colors, natural lighting, warm LED lighting from the unique overhead light fixture, and Green Guard furniture containing 97% recycled content. Photo: Nima Massoomi Also benefiting from the natural daylight and ventilation alongside the lobby, Environmental Building Strategies guided the use of post-consumer recycled content in the steel framing, wall coverings, countertops, and floor tiles, as well as Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood cabinets in the front desk. Photo: Nima Massoomi The hallway features automatic, hands-free, glass sliding doors with film adhesive to reduce the need to manually open doors, reduce the transfer of sound from room to room, and allow for natural light into the interior of the spaces. This simple solution helped to reduce the need to change gloves (hence, medical waste) and reduce the electrical usage from lighting. Photo: Nima Massoomi The surgical office features low-voltage MTI dental chairs, LED lighting, and Energy Star-rated computers and monitors. Patients are able to visualize the CBCT images on the monitors. Photo: Nima Massoomi The SFSA bathroom incorporates several sustainability features. The wall construction, tiles, and floor tiles all contain at least 30% recycled material. The bathroom has automatic sensor faucets with 0.5 gallons per minute and pressure-assist toilets with 1.0 gallons per flush, which reduce water usage by 40%. Photo: Nima Massoomi During the planning stage of the project, the challenges of the curved office space, ergonomics, and aesthetics were all taken into account. The Pano Alcove demonstrates the efficient use of the space, the perfect spot for the office’s Vatech CT machine. This combination 2D/3D CBCT reduces radiation exposure. Photo: Nima Massoomi The administrative area was designed for comfort and relaxation to maximize productivity. This room features OMSvision electronic medical records, Logitech solar-powered keyboards, and Energy Star-rated computers and monitors. Photo: Nima Massoomi SFSA’s home is in the Infinity Towers in downtown San Francisco. The centrally located towers augment the overall sustainability of the office, just steps away from multiple lines of public transportation, as well as restaurants, retailers, and entertainment venues. Photo: Nima Massoomi
Click To View Gallery

San Francisco Surgical Arts (SFSA), a new oral and maxillofacial surgical facility in downtown San Francisco, offers routine oral surgical services as well as advanced facial reconstructive and cosmetic surgery. In 2012, SFSA became the first facility of its kind to achieve LEED Platinum certification, the U.S. Green Building Council’s highest level of green building certification under LEED Commercial Interiors (CI) v2009 rating system.

Led by the facility’s doctors, the sustainable design achievement was also made possible by the sustainability engineering and LEED consulting of Environmental Building Strategies (EBS), the architectural design of The Kohan Group, and the sustainable construction tactics of All Phase Builders. The SFSA project was a byproduct of a vision created by a group of surgeons led by Dr. Nima Massoomi to create a high-tech, environmentally conscious, medical/dental office to service the needs of the Northern California population. In doing so, SFSA invested in sustainable design and building practices, energy-efficient appliances and medical equipment, low-flow water systems, and electronic medical records.

Sustainable design and construction provides meaningful benefits to the environment and also strengthens returns on construction/remodeling investment.  In the case of SFSA, the facility will see a strong ROI from lowered utility bills due to its energy-efficient appliances and machinery. In fact, the new facility is already spending just one-third the amount of the energy bills of its existing office, which is half the size of the new LEED-certified facility. 

Additionally, SFSA invested Green-e Energy Certified Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) to match the building’s energy use over a two-year period in order to help avoid 56 metric tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions, reducing their impact on the environment. SFSA is located within walking distance of public transportation, but it also provides free parking for patients.