UVM Medical Center
Newsroom

UVM Medical Center’s Miller Inpatient Building Awarded LEED Gold Certification

Efficiency, Energy Conservation, Sustainability Were Key Planning Principles

UVM Medical Center’s Miller Inpatient Building at sunset.
Published

Burlington, Vt. – Building upon its longstanding leadership in environmental sustainability, the University of Vermont Medical Center’s Miller Inpatient Building has been awarded LEED® Gold Certification. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), is the most widely used green building rating system in the world. This key milestone is an important step toward our goal of becoming one of the most environmentally responsible health care organizations in the country, while supporting the health of our communities.

Efficiency, energy conservation and sustainability were key planning principles from the outset of the Miller Inpatient Building project, which officially opened to patients in June 2019. Every aspect of the project was designed with patients and the environment in mind, through a process which included key input provided by a dedicated group of patient advisors. Important project components reducing environmental impacts include special exterior glazing, an efficient heating, air and cooling system, and innovations like denim-jeans insulation and recycled lightweight concrete.

“We’re excited to receive this designation, and continue to be proud to provide high-quality care in this amazing facility,” said Stephen Leffler, MD, President and Chief Operating Officer of the UVM Medical Center. “We hear from our patients and families that they love receiving care in the Miller Building, which we attribute to the energy saving design and safe, welcoming environment for patients, families and staff. This is great recognition for the dedicated people who designed, built and work in this space.”

The Miller Inpatient Building is designed to use half the energy of a comparable hospital, and the UVM Medical Center’s Facilities team is able to monitor the building’s energy usage to ensure it is operating efficiently. When the building was completed, the total energy use of the hospital campus decreased by about 6% overall due to upgrades and energy-saving investments to the central plant and infrastructure made to support the building. Put another way, the hospital uses less energy than before the Miller Inpatient Building was constructed.

During the building’s construction, 87% of workers on the project were Vermonters, and 100% of the materials for the project came from within a 500-mile radius. More than 35 Vermont contracting companies worked on the Miller Inpatient Building.

The UVM Medical Center is proud to highlight several other areas of the hospital that have received LEED Gold certifications, including Radiation Oncology, the Clinical Research Center, Mother Baby Unit, Garden Atrium, and Essex Primary Care.

“Achieving LEED certification is more than just implementing sustainable practices. It represents a commitment to making the world a better place and influencing others to do better,” said Peter Templeton, president and CEO, USGBC. “Given the extraordinary importance of climate protection and the central role buildings play in that effort, The UVM Medical Center is creating a path forward through their LEED certification.”

 

###

 

About the University of Vermont Medical Center
The University of Vermont Medical Center is a 499-bed tertiary care regional referral center providing advanced care to approximately 1 million residents in Vermont and northern New York. Together with our partners at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont and the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, we are Vermont’s academic medical center. The University of Vermont Medical Center also serves as a community hospital for approximately 150,000 residents in Chittenden and Grand Isle counties. 

The University of Vermont Medical Center is a member of The University of Vermont Health Network, an integrated system established to deliver high-quality academic medicine to every community we serve.

For more information visit www.UVMHealth.org/MedCenter or visit our Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and blog sites at www.UVMHealth.org/MedCenterSocialMedia.

About the U.S. Green Building Council
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is committed to a healthy, resilient and equitable future for all through the development of green buildings, cities and communities. For more than 20 years, USGBC has been advancing green building practices through the development of LEED, the world’s most widely used green building program. With the support of thousands of members, volunteers and partners, USGBC provides robust green building education courses, a rigorous professional credentialing program, and advocates for effective public policies. It convenes an international network of green building and sustainability leaders through the annual Greenbuild International Conference & Expo, and forward thinking programs, including the Center for Green Schools. For more information, visit usgbc.org and connect on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.