100-Bed Methodist Olive Branch Hospital Awarded LEED Gold

By Eliza Theiss, Associate Editor

Methodist Olive Branch Hospital has become the first in-patient healthcare facility in the U.S. to attain LEED for Healthcare Gold Certification, announced Methodist Healthcare.

The 223,000-square-foot hospital is one of only three LEED for Healthcare-certified facilities in the US, and one of only six globally. Healthcare-specific LEED certification category was implemented starting 2012 to encourage increased performance criteria specific to hospitals. Methodist Olive Branch Hospital initially targeted a LEED Silver certification.

Sustainable features incorporated into the new facility include geothermal heat pumps, that use the ground to cool and heat the hospital, low VOC paints and View Dynamic Glass, which tints as needed according to how much sunlight it receives, thus allowing natural light in at the same time as it reduces glare, heat and UV lights. Furthermore, a significant part of construction supplies were sourced from recycled materials and/or sourced from within a 500-mile radius of the site, while a minimum of 75 percent of construction waste was diverted from landfills to recycling facilities. Moreover, initial construction plans were altered to take advantage of solar orientation and to avoid disturbing the two onsite wetlands.

Smith Seckam Reid served as engineering and LEED consultants, Gresham, Smith and Partners served as architects, while Turner Construction was general contractor.

Located on Bethel Road in Olive Branch, MS, the newest hospital in the Methodist system opened in 2013. The five-story, 100-bed hospital offers cardiology, gastroenterology, nephrology, oncology, radiology, urology, outpatient nutrition therapy, rehabilitation and general, minimally invasive surgery services and a 24-hour emergency room.

Image courtesy of Methodist Healthcare