With 16 individual rooms featuring natural light and access to the outdoors as well as showers and pullout beds for loved ones, this new 20,000-square-foot hospice inpatient unit is surrounded by a healing garden—a collaborative project with the Chicago Botanic Garden. Midwest Palliative & Hospice CareCenter believes patient care extends to the world patients leave behind, which led to LEED® Gold certification. Toward that end, 20/10 Engineering Group designed the following sustainable features into the project:

• Highly efficient Geothermal HVAC system utilizing the area below the Healing Garden;
• All patient HVAC heat pumps are located in corridor closets, accessible for maintenance without entering patient rooms;
• In-floor hot water radiant heat ensures patient comfort even with tall glass at exterior wall for views to Healing Garden;
• HVAC system design for highest indoor air quality by achieving 30% over-ventilation LEED® credit;
• Highly efficient lighting; occupancy sensors;
• Ultra-low flow lavatories/urinals/water closets.