Sustainability in Healthcare Construction: A Focus on Being WELL

Wellness is a concept that’s fundamental to healthcare facilities. In some instances, it’s ingrained into the very fabric and foundation of the building itself.

SSM Health Sun Prairie Outpatient Center is a standout example of the intersection of sustainability, wellness, and construction, and was featured recently in a presentation at the annual Healthcare Design Conference & Expo. Findorff Sustainability Manager Ben Austin joined project partners from SSM Health Sun Prairie Outpatient Center, Kahler Slater, and IMEG to present “A Collaborative Approach to Sustainable Design.”

The session highlighted how a shared commitment to sustainability helped the team deliver the new outpatient center, as well as the benefits that come from investing in wellness and thinking holistically about how a building can serve its occupants. Achieving ambitious sustainability goals requires more than innovative technology, but rather a collaborative team aligned around a common vision from the very beginning.

Sustainability Manager Ben Austin presenting at the national Healthcare Design Conference & Expo.

A unique approach to wellness

The over 90,000-square-foot SSM Health Sun Prairie Outpatient Center includes eye care and outpatient surgical services with an ambulatory surgery center, eye clinic, pharmacy, optical laboratory, and retail optical services. But wellness is incorporated in ways far surpassing the building’s important function.

Throughout the design and construction process, the project team prioritized a number of wellness and sustainable strategies, including:

• Carbon reduction
• 1,900 solar panels covering the parking lot
• (providing natural light opportunities for all employees, not just in executive offices or certain parts of the building)
• Recycling and waste diversion; use of reclaimed materials
• Tree preservation and land restoration
• Community engagement, such as through a tree planting initiative

SSM Health Sun Prairie Outpatient Center was designed and built to achieve WELL Platinum, a unique certification that focuses on well-being and wellness of a building’s occupants. Achieving WELL certification is rare: there are currently four WELL-certified buildings in Wisconsin, none of which are Platinum. Unlike LEED certification, which remains with a building through its life, owners must reapply for WELL certification every three years to maintain their status.

Findorff played a key role in tracking sustainability metrics, coordinating WELL requirements, and ensuring the infrastructure necessary to support the facility’s renewable energy systems was successfully integrated into the project.

A custom lobby bench was crafted from repurposed wood, sourced from trees that had previously been on-site.

The Sun Prairie project expands on SSM Health’s growing leadership in healthy buildings. Its South Madison Campus became Wisconsin’s first WELL-certified healthcare project and the largest WELL-certified healthcare facility in the United States, while SSM Health was recognized with the International WELL Building Institute’s Rising Star Award for its commitment to advancing WELL at scale.

These efforts reflect the project’s broader commitment to environmental stewardship and creating meaningful connections between the building, its surroundings, and those engaging with the space. Incorporating sustainability into construction can create a lasting impact, and for healthcare facilities, it can promote wellness in an entirely new way.

Images © Tom Harris