A U.S. hospital destroyed by a tornado has been rebuilt and the administration say the replacement building is 32 percent more energy efficient than the ASHRAE standard.
In 2007, a tornado destroyed the small community of Greensburg, Kansas and its hospital. Kiowa County Memorial Hospital administrator Mary Sweet is reported by the National Association of Farm Broadcasters News Service as saying that the disaster allowed them to make energy efficient decisions for the rebuild.
Sweet says the hospital administrators met and discussed what they wanted from the new building. She says they learned not to look just at the initial cost but at the environmental impact, long-term savings, and sustainable and renewable resources. One goal was to reach the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, certification.
