Virginia Hospital Receives Coveted LEED Gold Designation

HARRISONBURG, Va.— Rockingham Memorial Hospital in Harrisonburg is the first inpatient healthcare facility in the state of Virginia, and the second of its size in the nation to receive LEED Gold Certification, according to reports.

 

Dennis Coffman, director of facility planning and development at RMH, called the certification a culmination of years of dedicated work to make sure the new 630,000-square-foot hospital would meet LEED guidelines.

 

“We are extremely pleased to be named the first ‘green’ hospital of this size in Virginia,” said Coffman. “We made the choice not for the recognition, but because it’s the right thing to do for our community — now and for future generations. Being ‘green’ is cost-effective and is ensures we will continue to be good financial stewards of our community’s resources.”

 

Committed to building an environmentally friendly hospital on the 254-acre site, RMH hired Nashville-based architectural firm Earl Swensson Associates (ESa) and the commissioning firm of SSRCx, which consults on the construction and operating of high-performance green buildings.

 

“We share Rockingham’s excitement about this significant achievement, because this is ESa’s first Gold LEED certified replacement hospital that we’ve designed,” says Harold Petty, director of medical design and a principal at ESa. “The original goal was to achieve a Silver LEED certification, but Rockingham actually exceeded that level. This recognition now places Rockingham Memorial Hospital within a unique, small group of hospitals in the U.S. We are just honored to have been part of this accomplishment.”