[ sustainability ] BY REBECCA MELNYK
NEW RESILIENCE GUIDELINES FORTIFY HOSPITALS
The threat of climate change is about to play a larger role in designing future healthcare facilities in British Columbia.
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he pace of r ising temperatures and heavy-rain events is increasing awareness of how climate change could affect healthcare facility operations in British Columbia. Newly released guidelines offer a standard for approaching the planning and designing of capital projects from a resiliency perspective. The Climate Resilience Guidelines for BC Health Facility Planning
& Design tops off a multi-sector collaboration to develop practicebased guidance for BC Health Authorities. It arises from a series of reports and a provincial climate risk assessment, all with roots in the CleanBC plan, which was tabled in 2018 to meet legislated climate targets of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Doug McLachlan, associate director of IBI Group, was on the task force that helped prepare this
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document, released in December 2020. “Prior to the guidelines, the process in deliverables may have varied depending from project to project,” he said. “There is now a framework established for how we can address climate change and look at going beyond LEED Gold or code minimum requirements on a project.” He was speaking at a seminar in May, “Planning for Climate Resilience in Healthcare Facilities,” hosted by the Canadian Centre for Healthcare Facilities. New RFPs will begin referencing these guidelines, so the discussion covered how they align with key design stages
