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THE GREEN CLINIC – ECOLOGICAL IS ECONOMICAL

Built on a greenfield site, the founder of the ETHIANUM Clinic Heidelberg, Prof. Dr. Germann, was committed to ecological efficiency and sustainability from the very beginning. And so the entire clinic is based on a comprehensive concept of sustainability. Thanks to this concept, the ETHIANUM Clinic is an emission-free clinic, a green hospital. And thus a showpiece in the Heidelberg region.

From the very beginning, the quality concept of sustainability has had an overarching influence on the structures of the ETHIANUM Clinic. This also pays off economically in the long term. Did you know that a clinic consumes as much energy as a small town? And that around 40 % of the costs incurred during the useful life of a building are used for energy? As in any private household, the main cost drivers are expenditure on heating, water and electricity. In a clinic, however, these cost factors are exorbitantly higher, as the technical building equipment, IT and medical technology are indispensable for daily care. Speaking of daily supplies, would you have guessed that it was only thanks to the concept of sustainability that we were able to offer you freshly prepared meals every day without you having to pay extra for them? The resulting high energy costs are only affordable thanks to the sustainable concept. And this makes the high initial investment worthwhile, which will realise its savings potential over the useful life of the building until it is dismantled.

Find out more about the concept and construction of our green ETHIANUM clinic.

Materials were used to build the clinic that were sourced locally without long transport routes. The ceilings, walls and floors of the ETHIANUM Clinic are largely plastic-free and recyclable. The outer skin and roof of the building are consistently thermally insulated. In addition, insulating glass windows have been installed throughout the building. One factor is the glass dome of the ETHIANUM Clinic at a height of 18 metres. It has acoustic insulation. The opening can be controlled and provides the lobby with daylight. Thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows, the natural light source also helps to save energy in the operating theatre and almost every room. Automatic lighting control systems, façade shading and the use of LED lamps complete the lighting concept of the ETHIANUM Clinic. Built-in façade ventilation units also help to save energy. Blinds reduce solar radiation when the air conditioning is switched on in a room before the cooling system kicks in. Our clinic also has a centralised water treatment system. Large water tanks serve as distributors for underfloor heating, cooling ceilings and façade ventilation.

However, the heart of the sustainable concept lies in the in-house geothermal system with a heat pump that can be switched to cooling mode. The geothermal energy, which is extracted through 45 probes from a maximum depth of 70 metres, is used for heating or cooling depending on the season. This covers the basic requirements of the underfloor heating/cooling system. The cooling ceilings and the façade ventilation units even draw their entire energy requirements from this geothermal system. As this system has made the installation of heating systems and the corresponding combustion points unnecessary, there are also no climate-damaging CO₂ emissions.

In addition, the building has eight highly efficient ventilation systems in efficiency class A+, which also enable the radiology department to operate. This is because a separate ventilation system is required for this.

But that’s not all: intelligent logistics solutions ensure further savings and careful resource management. This is because intelligent communication networks have been installed in the ETHIANUM Clinic. Equipped with fibre optic cables, the networks include a hospital information system, LAN and WLAN networks, streaming services, TV servers and VoIP systems. The use of digital patient files and paperless communication not only ensure savings, but also guarantee that patient-relevant information is available quickly and securely at any time and any place. In addition, an emergency stockroom ensures that sufficient supplies and medication are always available.

The concept was realised as part of the “Green + Hospitals” initiative together with Siemens.