The squeeze is on. Health care faces shrinking reimbursements, changes in delivery systems, new models of care, over-the-top technology, sustainable healing environments, staff shortages, and consumer patients. It's enough to make any health care provider run for cover, except there's no place to hide in our health care system.

SME understands the detailed business of health care. With increased emphasis on healing and wellness, most healthcare organizations realize they must walk the talk with sustainable or green buildings and materials. Keeping existing buildings “healthy”often means upgrading and rehabilitating facilities and building systems. And with those renovations and additions come a host of potential problems -- vibration sensitive equipment, foundation support for buildings with adjacent basements or tunnel systems, and hazardous materials concerns such as asbestos, lead-based paint, mold, mercury, PCBs and medical waste. Whatever we encounter, these facilities must remain in operation and schedules must be met.

Our team has helped hospitals and medical centers, ambulatory care centers and assisted living centers combat environmental hazards, enhance healing, clear construction hurdles, cut costs, extend building life, and achieve LEED certification.

We are proud to have been part of the project team for Saint Mary’s Lacks Cancer Center in Grand Rapids, the second U.S. hospital to receive LEED certification. In addition to providing hazardous materials consulting and vibration monitoring during demolition of the existing building, and geotechnical engineering and foundation recommendations for the new building, SME conducted a recycling assessment for the entire hospital campus. Working with Waste Management and Recycle America, we identified additional materials that could be recycled plus recommended other enhancements to the hospital’s recycling program. Our recycling plan and training materials became a key component of their LEED application.

SME is also taking healthcare to a better sustainable place at Kent County’s Metro Health Village. The new 170-acre development incorporates green design and technology with the goal of becoming a totally LEED-certified healthcare campus.

Two examples of projects where SME achieved construction cost savings are Holland Community Hospital in Holland and Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo. We used vibrocompaction at both western Michigan hospitals to improve foundation subgrades. Vibrocompaction increases the allowable soil bearing pressure of the existing soils at sites with loose granular soils, effectively reducing foundation construction costs.

SME is also helping Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan – a 40-year client -- stay well by developing restoration and maintenance plans for their buildings and parking structures. Every year we update the plans, prioritizing facility needs and developing recommendations for rehabilitation. Most recently we collaborated with the design team on a green roof for BCBSM’s 9-level parking deck in downtown Detroit. It’s the first parking structure in the country to become LEED-certified.

After all, quality care isn’t just for people.

For more information contact an SME office near you.
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Click here for a list of representative projects.





© Copyright 2009 Soil and Materials Engineers, Inc.