Gray's Woods site is going green

Like many of the new facilities Geisinger recently has built, Gray’s Woods will be ‘green’. The green building trend calls for construction of energy-efficient buildings full of features that stress the natural over the chemical, the recycled over the new and the renewable over the finite. Green buildings also use non-toxic paint and finishes, locally produced materials and efficient heating and cooling systems and fresh air ventilation.

Geisinger is pursing certification by LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), a voluntary green building rating system that defines, measures and certifies buildings that are environmentally responsible, economically efficient and healthy places to live and work.  The LEED certification process includes a thorough review of the building's design features, construction plans and records.

Green features at Geisinger - Grays’ Woods include:

• non-toxic paint and finishes
• extensive use of natural daylight that reduces dependency on electric lighting and provides windows view for more than 90% of office space
• lighting control system that dims the lights when there is natural daylight available and turns off lights in unoccupied areas
• high efficiency heating and cooling systems
• recycled and locally obtained building materials, for example a reinforcing bar of recycled steel.
• rain and wastewater capture.
• storm water runoff control features.
• building “skin” of  glazed glass to maximize energy saving and interior light.
• fresh air ventilation, an air filtration system and careful selection of building materials to provide high indoor air quality.

Studies show that green buildings have a value beyond energy savings, with organizations documenting less absenteeism and time lost to allergies and illnesses aggravated by mold and chemicals odors associated with traditional buildings.