Planners for $300 Million Project Aim for LEED Certification

NEPTUNE, N.J. — Planners for a new $300 million medical center at Jersey Shore University are taking several steps to ensure that the building receives LEED certification once it is completed.

Several sustainable-design features are planned for the building, including an HVAC system that will use 20 percent less energy than similar conventionally built structures. Officials will purchase 35 percent of the building’s electricity from alternative power sources, along with fixtures that are designed to conserve water. The facility will also use Green Seal-certified cleaning products.

The multi-phased project, which started construction in 2006 and is scheduled for completion in 2009, includes private rooms with home-like furnishings, 24-hour room service and soft and natural lighting.

The new Northwest Pavilion building is planned for 213,000 square feet and will include an emergency room that is twice the size of the previous facility, which can accommodate up to 100,000 patients annually.

The pavilion will also house pediatric and imaging departments and three nursing units that will each include 36 beds organized in 12-bed clusters. The pavilion will have a direct connection to the atrium lobby and patient entrance, and it includes a 36-bed shell floor to accommodate future expansion if needed.

A 109,000-square-foot diagnostic and treatment building will house six new surgery suites with high-tech equipment, including robotic surgery technology. The building will also include a sterile processing department and a new kitchen, dining area and loading dock.

Parking spaces will be reserved for hybrids and alternative-fuel vehicles in a new parking garage that will have capacity for about 1,500 vehicles. The structure is located next to the facility’s main atrium for easy access and has a rooftop heliport for trauma victims and dedicated ambulance access.

The project also includes renovations to the clinical and outpatient areas at the hospital. An expansion in the inpatient area includes six new pediatric beds and 11 new maternity beds. The neonatal intensive care unit will receive 13 additional bassinets. Two new electrophysiology procedure rooms and a new cardiac catheterization suite are included, among other renovations.