Crafting Sustainable Healthcare Environments Using Green Building Ratings for Aging Societies

Abstract

As global demographics shift towards an aging population, the need for sustainable healthcare environments becomes increasingly critical. This study addresses this imperative by examining the application of Green Building Rating Systems (GBRSs) in healthcare facilities, such as hospitals and nursing homes. It emphasizes the urgency of developing environmental assessment criteria specifically tailored for healthcare buildings to meet the challenges posed by an aging society. The research involved an extensive examination of a wide array of sustainability indicators from the literature, coupled with a Delphi survey involving a panel of 15 experts to guide the rigorous selection and validation process. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was then applied to assign relative weights to each indicator, culminating in a specialized evaluative framework that includes 54 sustainability indicators across various dimensions. This framework is designed to support decision-making in the design process of new or retrofitted healthcare buildings, offering a comprehensive tool for creating sustainable healthcare settings. The findings and proposed framework aim to act as a reference for future development, supporting the creation of sustainable healthcare settings in Hong Kong and potentially informing similar efforts in other urban areas with similar challenges.