FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:  MARGE SULLIVAN, PALM HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION, 561-833-6333

                   MELANIE OTERO, THE WATERS PELTON ORGANIZATION, 561-626-0026, ext. 11

                   JENNIFER ABBOTT, THE WATERS PELTON ORGANIZATION, 561-626-0026, ext. 19

Foundation Seeking to Be Florida’s First to Achieve

LEED^® Certification for Green Building Reconstruction

WEST PALM BEACH, FL— Palm Healthcare Foundation is setting the example locally and statewide for green building reconstruction by recycling nearly an entire two-story office building on Greenwood Avenue in West Palm Beach.  The project is currently entering the exterior disassembly phase when construction crews will “skin” the outside of the building, removing the windows, studs, aluminum, steel studs and drywall and segregating tons of materials for recycling.  “It’s a construction site unlike any seen in our area before,” said Jeff Collins, president of Collins Development, the project’s construction management consultant.  “Normally in a reconstruction project you would bring in a demolition crew to completely destroy the building and haul everything to a landfill.  Here our workers are removing the elements that make up the ‘skin’ of the building—primarily glass, aluminum and steel—and separating them to be transferred to a recycling plant.  Besides the benefit to the environment, some savings from recycling these building materials will come directly back to Palm Healthcare.” 

When the exterior disassembly is complete, only the steel and concrete structure will remain as the foundation for reconstruction of the building, which will become The Palm Healthcare Pavilion, home of the Mollie Wilmot Children’s Center, a state-of-the-art $12.5 million project for children with special healthcare needs.  Through this project, Palm Healthcare Foundation is seeking to be the first in the State of Florida to achieve LEED^® (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) certification for the renovation of an existing building.  It will adhere to the LEED^® Green Building Rating System, the nationally accepted standard for green buildings developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).  The project will follow the USGBC’s design and construction practices that significantly reduce or eliminate the negative impacts of buildings on the environment and occupants in five areas: sustainable site planning; water efficiency; energy and atmosphere; materials and resources; and indoor environmental quality.

“According to the USGBC’s Certified Project List, no existing building renovations have been LEED^® certified in Florida,” said Rob Hink, Principal of The Spinnaker Group, Inc. and sustainability consultant for the Palm Healthcare Pavilion project.  “Palm Healthcare Foundation is really a leader in demonstrating that green building projects don’t have to always be new construction, as most of them are.  It is possible, and better for the environment, to disassemble and reconstruct a building in a sustainable, environmentally responsible way.”  The Palm Healthcare Pavilion is the first and only medical facility project in the State of Florida seeking LEED^® certification for an existing building.  USGBC lists 60 LEED^® projects currently registered in the state of Florida seeking certification, and ten that are certified.   

During the first phase of the project, interior disassembly, a wide variety of materials were carefully removed in order to recycle them by donating them to local charities.  Four non-profit organizations, Hospice by the Sea, Habitat for Humanity, Florida Atlantic University Wellness Center and Palm Beach Habilitation Center took away truckloads of materials, including light fixtures, hot water heaters, water fountains, sinks, ceiling tiles, doors and cabinets.  “In a typical interior demolition, everything would be thrown into a dumpster and hauled away,” said Suzette W. Wexner, Palm Healthcare Foundation president.  “By renovating green, we have benefited our non-profit partners in the community and saved tons of materials from landfills.  Through the donation of recyclable materials, and by sorting wood, metals and other materials for alternate uses, we will be able to divert 75% of materials away from landfills—something that is so important in Florida where landfill space is premium.”

Every step of the way, from site selection, to disassembly to reconstruction, Palm Healthcare Foundation is eligible for points toward LEED^® certification status.  The number of points earned designates the level of certification awarded to the project (basic, silver, gold or platinum).

“We’re really touching the project in a lot of different ways environmentally,” said Hink.  “Some people think of a green building as energy efficient, and that’s part of it.  Some people think of it as using recyclable materials, and that’s part of it, too.  But we’re really touching the project in every way imaginable, including encouraging alternate transportation and reusing storm water runoff, to create a sustainable building that reduces harmful environmental effects.”

Palm Healthcare Foundation will seek LEED^® certification status by meeting environmentally responsible design and construction criteria, including:

·         Sustainable Site Planning.  Besides selecting a site close to bus lines, Palm Healthcare Foundation will encourage employees at the Pavilion to seek alternate forms of transportation by providing special parking spaces for hybrid vehicles and bicycle storage and changing rooms.  Civil engineers will look at capturing and reusing storm water runoff, and the building will have a highly reflective roof to reduce interior temperatures and conserve energy.

·         Water Efficiency.  Landscapers will use native plants and minimize turf grass to keep irrigation needs low.  The building will have highly efficient fixtures, including water efficient shower heads and faucets to reduce water usage.

·         Energy and Atmosphere:  Quality control systems will be installed to ensure all systems, particularly HVAC, are working at peak efficiencies.  Non-ozone depleting refrigerant will be used for AC systems.

·         Materials and Resources:  Wherever possible, the Palm Healthcare Pavilion will use recycled, regional materials that are manufactured and extracted within 500 miles of the site to reduce transportation effects on the environment.  Certified wood from sustainable forests will be used throughout the building. 

·         Indoor Environmental Quality.  All materials—from plywood to paint to carpet—will have low VOC (volatile organic compounds) to protect indoor air quality.  The building will be reconstructed to maximize fresh air and natural daylight.

“In every way, we are making environmentally sound decisions,” said Bob Jaffe, Palm Healthcare Foundation board chairman.  “From purchasing products close to the site to reduce transportation effects on the environment, to recycling the building’s exterior materials and donating the interior materials to local charities, including Hospice by the Sea and Habitat for Humanity, we are trying to demonstrate that you can take a standard office building and reconstruct it in an innovative, environment-friendly way,” said Jaffe. 

Once disassembly is completed in March, reconstruction of the Palm Healthcare Pavilion will begin.  The Pavilion green building project will be done in phases throughout 2007, with a grand opening scheduled for early 2008.

About Palm Healthcare Foundation, Inc.
Palm Healthcare Foundation, Inc. was chartered in 2001 as an independent community healthcare foundation. Believing that “Together We Can Do More,” the foundation’s mission is to transform healthcare challenges by bringing together the talents and resources of the community to create innovative solutions that deliver high-impact results. The Foundation’s funding priorities—access to healthcare, healthcare quality and safety, healthcare technology, healthcare policy and healthcare workforce—are designed to empower non-profit healthcare organizations and healthcare professionals to create programs and services that improve the quality of life for Palm Beach County’s underserved citizens.  Since 2001, the Foundation has distributed more than $14 million to over 70 non-profit organizations in Palm Beach County operating over 130 programs that met its funding goals.  To learn more about Palm Healthcare Foundation, please visit www.palmhealthcare.org.