Proposal for a Healthcare Building Sustainability Assessment (HBSA) method

Abstract

The healthcare building project contains different aspects from the most common projects. Mostly due to various design requirements, these buildings are rarely designed and operated in a sustainable way. Therefore, the best practices of a sustainable healthcare building design that should be taken into account: in the design phase (to support the decision to adopt solutions that contribute to building sustainability); and in the operation phase (to support users and managers in the operation and in equipment maintenance at an high level of efficiency). In this context, the aim of this study is to present a proposal for a Healthcare Building Sustainability Assessment (HBSA) method adapted for the Portuguese context and considering the work developed so far in the standardization bodies (CEN and ISO). The most relevant building sustainability assessment tools in the context of healthcare buildings will be also analysed and compared.