First Platinum Medical Center Opens

The Center for Heath and Healing at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Oregon, is the first medical center to achieve a Platinum rating in the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Rating System. The 16-story, 400,000-ft² (37,000-m²) building features a chilled beam and displacement ventilation system, a membrane bioreactor for treating sewage, rainwater harvesting, and a 6,000-ft² (560-m²), glass-skinned Trombe wall for storing thermal energy. Designed to be 60% more energy efficient than Oregon code requires, the building also uses 60% less potable water than a comparable, conventional building, thanks to wastewater and graywater harvesting and water-efficiency measures.