Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters Earns LEED Silver

By Rachel Leber

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters (CHKD) Health Center in Norfolk received LEED Silver certification for new construction in March after the building first opened its doors in September 2016. With this certification, the pediatric health center is the first in Virginia to meet these requirements for LEED-NC v4 and is ninth in the U.S. to make this accomplishment.

CHKD is a three-story, 70,000-square-foot ambulatory care facility and offers access to pediatric outpatient specialty clinics including allergy, dermatology, orthopedics, sports rehabilitation and performance, lab services and imaging. The architect on the project was HDR Inc. located in Virginia Beach, with W.M. Jordan Company out of Newport News as the general contractor. The rest of the project team included NRW Engineering, Gov Solutions, and VHB Engineering — all located in Virginia Beach, along with Virginia-based team members Valley Engineering out of Mt. Crawford and Distinctive Art Solutions out of Manassas.

Sustainable features of CHKD that helped to earn LEED Silver certification for the facility includes an innovative HVAC displacement ventilation system in the main lobby and third floor waiting area to efficiently condition the open space. The facility regularly implements green cleaning practices, uses low-emitting interior building materials and furniture and has LED lighting throughout the building. There is a hot water reheat system for the terminal units and radiation devices, high-performance glazing, along with enhanced commissioning of HVAC, plumbing, lighting systems and building envelope.

Additionally, the facility has a CO2 monitoring system and full cut-off exterior light fixtures to reduce light pollution. CHKD also offers community connectivity with more than 10 services within walking distance of the facility and a bicycle trail system just outside hospital doors. As a health-related practice, CHKD features day-lit staircases filled with artwork to encourage climbing the stairs in place of riding the elevator. The interiors of the hospital and exam rooms feature low-allergy and climate-appropriate plants with the intention of optimal health conditions for its patients, as well as lobby areas that offer daylighting and plentiful views of the outdoors.

The impact of the energy efficient features employed by the hospital equals the reduction of overall energy costs by 35 percent, indoor water use by 37 percent and outdoor water use by 50 percent. As a fun outreach effort for patients, staff and visitors, energy efficiency of the building are easily monitored through an interactive real-time dashboard, accessible and user-friendly to adults and children.