New Hospital

The Northridge earthquake of 1994 generated a great deal of attention regarding the seismic safety for all acute-care hospitals in California leading to state laws endorsed by legislation and state policy action, specifically SB1953. Frank R. Howard Memorial Hospital’s (HMH) 80 year-old existing facility is unable to meet criteria as required by SB1953. After an extensive evaluation of the best avenue to pursue, the Frank R. Howard Foundation Board of Directors agreed that retrofitting the current facility would generate an unacceptable interruption in services and would not address the fact that the current facility is too small for all the medical services now being provided.

Regarding the actual construction of the hospital itself, the new facility will be built to strict specifications set by the United States Green Building Council for new construction as established by LEED. LEED is the current industry standard benchmark for environmentally friendly and responsible design and construction, and provides owners with a widely recognized way to quantify and qualify the environmental advantages which are being implemented in the building. This process is totally voluntary and is a way for building owners to demonstrate their commitment to building in an environmentally sensitive and responsible manner. In order for a building to achieve any level of LEED certification there are “credits” which are clearly defined by LEED and are designed into the building and implemented during construction.