Sustainability at Michigan Medicine

Construction

Interior Design & Architecture

Studies have shown that indoor air quality (IAQ) can be greatly enhanced by the proper selection of interior elements. With this in mind, Michigan Medicine strives to make a positive environmental impact in our approach to interior building design and architecture.

In addition to meeting all health and safety codes and specific patient/visitor requirements, our designs and products are selected for maximum durability and sustainability. 

Here are some of our building enhancements that promote environmental sustainability:

VOCs are organic chemicals with low boiling points, allowing them to be vaporized easily. If inhaled, VOCs can rob your brain of oxygen. The severity of health effects associated with VOCs vary from compound to compound. To learn more, click here.

PVC is one of the most environmentally hazardous consumer materials produced. PVC is a plastic that threatens environmental health from the second it's created until its disposal. Even at that point, PVC still poses toxic exposure risks inside a landfill or incinerator. Over time, PVC exposure risks include asthma, lead poisoning and cancer.

PBT pollutants are toxic chemicals that persist in the environment and and pose risks to human health and ecosystems. The biggest concern about PBTs is that that they transfer easily among air, water and land, and span boundaries of programs, geography and generations. 

Cradle to Cradle® Certification assesses a product's safety to humans and the environment as well as its design for future life cycles. This type of certification is a holistic, economic, industrial and social framework that seeks to create systems that are not just efficient, but essentially waste free.

House

Pre-Construction

Before any hammer is swung, Michigan Medicine commits itself to reusing as much of the proposed construction area as possible. For example, existing furniture and other items can often by reused or repurposed within the proposed new layout.

If items are no longer needed, they are brought to Property Disposition to be sold to the general public.

Brick

Construction

During all construction projects Michigan Medicine recycles as much general debris as possible.
Some of these recycled items include: