New South Shore Medical Center to include "green" technology

The South Shore Medical Center's new building currently under construction at Longwater Place is being built using sustainable building practices and environmentally friendly materials. Campanelli Construction, the construction manager on the project, is also incorporating energy saving systems throughout the 80,000 s/f facility. According to Jeff DeMarco, president of Campanelli Const., the exterior of the building will be covered by a rain screen, a system that directs the flow of water away from the building, where it then filters through the pavement to the underlying strata. This advanced system means the building exceeds the EPA's Groundwater Recharge standards, as it recycles more water than most existing structures. The building is topped with a "cool roof" of white TPO (thermoplastic polyolefin) that, unlike normal, darker toned roofs, reflects sunlight away from the building, which helps to limit the amount of energy needed to cool the structure. The interior of the new South Shore Medical Center will also feature environmentally friendly systems, including extensive LED lighting, which uses less energy than traditional incandescent light fixtures. In addition, 30% of the building's walls are glass and there are skylights in the roof that allow plenty of natural light to stream in. The LED lights are on a system that reacts to natural light, automatically dimming lights when sunlight is bright enough to illuminate the rooms. The system also reacts to movement, and lights will turn themselves off when a room is empty. When South Shore Medical Center's new facility is completed in late 2013 it will offer more convenient patient access to medical services in one location. The new building at Longwater Place will feature additional parking, comfortable waiting and care areas, and more advanced diagnostic and treatment equipment for a team-based approach to patient care. South Shore Medical Center and FoxRock Properties of Quincy, are jointly developing the new facility. South Shore Medical Center has been providing medical care for area residents and families since 1962, and currently operates facilities in Norwell, Weymouth and Kingston. South Shore Medical Center is one of six medical groups that comprise Atrius Health, a not-for-profit care system that services one million adult and pediatric patients at 50 practice locations in Eastern and Central Massachusetts.