Rockingham Memorial Hospital in Harrisonburg, Va., is the commonwealth’s first inpatient healthcare facility to earn LEED Gold. The 630,000-sf facility was designed by Earl Swensson Associates, with commissioning consultant SSRCx, both of Nashville. It has 238 beds in a split-level layout that gives patients, visitors, and staff 360-degree views of the 254-acre site and surrounding Shenandoah Valley. The location plays a significant role in the hospital’s sustainability achievements. Methane gas from a nearby landfill is used to heat parts of the building, and concrete from old barn and farmhouse foundations on the site was recycled and used for gravel during construction. Additional green features include rainwater runoff used to create an on-site lake, biking and running trails, 76% materials recycling, and the use of low-VOC paints, sealants, and flooring throughout the hospital.
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Nestled deep in the Napa Valley, the city of American Canyon is one of a number of new communities in Northern California that have experienced tremendous growth in the last five years. Located 42 miles northeast of San Francisco, American Canyon had a population of just over 9,000 in 2000; by 2008, that figure stood at 15,276, with 28% of the population under age 18.
