Proceedings of: Workshop on Improving Building Design for Persons with Low Vision

Issue 14: How can improved lighting and zero net energy goals by achieved while improving health care?

Comment by Kurt Knight: [As an] initial goal at VA, we stipulate some energy lighting criteria, but we’re not willing at this time to go to that as a significant issue. Again, we try to do it in a holistic way. We have some of our standards relative to lighting that we think are appropriate for whatever function that we’re doing; it’s different needs for different functions. And that’s the minimum.

So when they do their energy analysis, they can’t go below those minimums, which are not necessarily as low as some suggestions around here. I’d have to look at them specifically. I’m not an expert in that area. But we are establishing them on some lighting.

Question by Jim Woods: So you have lighting minimums?

Response by Kurt Knight: Right. But we still demand that the AE design the building holistically to meet the 30 percent. In health care that’s a challenge because it’s a 24/7 operation. It’s entirely different than an office building. We’ve raised that up the flagpole numerous times and nobody’s – at least in the regulatory area – seems to care. Or they’re simply not doing anything.

So I think from our perspective, yes, we’re going to establish some standard relative to a wide variety. Now have we done that well in low vision area? I would say no. We would probably need to do some work on what should those standards be in a low vision area, in certain types of areas. Our community living center we’re doing – (inaudible) – but -- and by still demanding 30 percent. Now that 30 percent’s going up.

Question by Tom Williams: Did you see the new FEMP standard (a white paper) that came out last week? I can’t believe this: fifty percent [energy] reduction requirement in large hospitals.