Royal Adelaide Hospital has become the first large-scale hospital complex in Australia to achieve a 4 Star Green
Star – Healthcare As Built rating from the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA).
Royal Adelaide Hospital is part of a steadily expanding group of public projects delivering shared valuethrough sustainable building practice.
GBCA CEO, Romilly Madew said nationwide, the number of healthcare facilities pursuing Green Star certification is now well into double digits, reflecting the growing recognition that sustainable design can boost efficiencies in hospitals while also activelycontributing to better patient outcomes.
“Research from the World Green Building Council has shown that incorpo rating green design in hospitalinfrastructure can deliver an 8.5% reduction in hospital stays, 15% faster recovery rates, a 22% reduction in theneed for pain medication and an 11% reduction in secondary infections," she said.
“We know that on average, Green Star buildings deliver significant savings, producing 62% fewer greenhouse gas emissions and using 66% less electricity than average Australian buildings.
“But it’s not just the environment that benefits from green buildings, it’s the people who use them. The sustainability
elements of Royal Adelaide Hospital add up to hugely improved amenity for patients, visitors and staff.”
Optimising natural daylight not only boosts energy efficiency by re ducing demand for artificial light, it also improvesthe quality of the indoor environment for everyone at the hospital.
The site boasts a total of 3.8 hectares of landscaped environment, including more than 70 internal themed courtyards, sky gardens across the hospital’s nine levels, such as the Spinal Garden and an Aboriginal Garden,creating a 1.6 hectare footprint of green space within the hospital.
High efficiency water fittings have been incorporated and water is captured and recycled throughout the facility. An onsite cogeneration system provide heating to the building.
The Royal Adelaide Hospital sits alongside the state’s other leading Green Star healthcare facilities including the Lyell McEwin Hospital's Inpatient Building and the Flinders Medical Centre.
“South Australia’s Green Star projects extend from large-scale residential developments like Bowden to small erscale but equally impressive projects such as Princes Terrace, and encompass both government and private office buildings as well as mixed-use developments like U City and educational infrastructure such as Innova21,” Madew said.
“Together with broader energy measures, these projects are moving South Australia further down the path towards the zero emissions future to which we are all committed.”