Singapore is called the Garden City for its abundance of trees and gardens, a feature that’s included in the design of Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital (MNH). The hospital’s commitment to green is further demonstrated through a number of sustainable design elements that help minimize waste and increase savings.

“Our patients embrace the ‘greenness’ as an enhancement of the total hospitality experience,” says Dr. Kelvin Loh, CEO, Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital.

CIAP Architects (Singapore), which partnered with HOK (San Francisco) on the project, points out some of the sustainable design features:

• North and south façades of the building are longer than the east and west façades, reducing heat gain inside the building by more than 20 percent and resulting in a lower cooling load.

• Landscaping on the ground level and on the roof at levels four and 12 gives physical and visual relief, and functions as a cool roof to reduce heat load on the spaces below.

• Highly efficient low-emissivity glass used throughout lets light enter the building, but not the heat.

• Water efficiency and management systems achieve water savings of about 30 percent as compared to a conventional building,

• A climate-responsive intelligent façade design reduces heat gain inside the building by more than 20 percent, resulting in a minimized cooling load and a reduction in the energy required to cool the building.

• Photovoltaic panels power all rooftop garden lighting, while solar panels on the roof generate hot water for the hospital.

• The use of energy-saving lamps, lighting controls, and use of motion sensors is expected to achieve total lighting energy savings of close to 24.5 percent.

In April 2012, the building was awarded the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) Green Mark Platinum Award and is expected to achieve energy savings of more than 4 million kW per hours per year. 

For more on this project, visit http://healthcaredesi.wpengine.com/article/mnh-hospital-future-four-seasons-twist.