Cintocare News
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TecHub | 26 April 2021
CGTN Africa LIVE: #GlobalBusiness 18GMT 27/04/2021
Arabella Leeuw Full Documentary
A story of healing, hope and inspiration. Please meet the special Arabella Leeuw.
Thank you to Cintocare and their management, as well as Dr. Hermann Kluge for making this miracle happen.
Our first year’s journey
Healthy buildings = Healthy people
Conventional hospitals often have considerable carbon emission profiles due to the energy and water consumption required for their daily operations, explains Adrie Fourie. The Cintocare Hospital was able to reduce its operational footprint considerably, “while creating a place of healing, not only a place for treatment”.
The user-first approach informed some of the key design decisions. These included designing an appropriate HVAC system that places infection control and indoor air quality at the fore, while also ensuring increased maintenance access to keep it functioning optimally.
Other green building features include high levels of thermal comfort for 95% of the usable area, a recycling waste storage facility, metering of energy and water use, a rainwater storage tank for routine fire protection, entryway walk-off mats which capture particulates from occupants’ shoes, and the creation and implementation of a sustainable procurement guide.
The inclusion of as much daylight as possible was also critical. “Natural daylight is an environmental factor that has a great impact on health and wellbeing of people within a space. Research suggests that healthy hospitals, where these factors are considered, improve patient outcomes and assist in the recovery process,” emphasises Pienaar. The glazed façade ensures that 92% of the bedded areas have access to daylight and external views.
Creating a custom tool
In order to facilitate the Green Star certification of the hospital, Fourie led the creation of a new custom Green Star tool. “The creation of a new tool focused on a previously unrepresented sector like healthcare, is a strong illustrator that any industry can and should ‘go green’ – it reaches a completely new sub-set of design professionals, healthcare practitioners, product suppliers and manufacturers, and creates momentum for a ripple-effect of wider industry transformation. Spreading awareness and facilitating change are the building blocks that will move the green building agenda to new heights,” she says.
Pienaar believes that healthcare facilities should always aim to make an impact on the broader environment and, more specifically, they should benefit the people who use them. The Cintocare Hospital is leading the way into that arena head and shoulders above the rest. “‘Healthier’ healthcare facilities with direct benefits to human health will be sought after more and more in South Africa in the years to come,” Pienaar concludes.
SA Building Review 2020 – Cintocare Hospital
