Duncan Griffin
Director of Sustainability, HealthHDRDuncan Griffin AIA, LEED AP, LEAN is a registered architect of 34 years. Now Director of Sustainability, Health, Duncan was the Managing Principal of HDR’s Seattle Studio from 2017 to 2023. He now directs the adoption and implementation of regenerative design principles for healthcare clients and teams.
A successful outcome for Duncan delivers healing journey and healthy experiences for building occupants, and serves the community through reduced water use, net positive energy and carbon balanced solutions. Duncan has collaborated on leading edge Healthcare facilities, working with Institutional, Governmental and Academic Health clients to uncover opportunities for resource conservation and pollution reduction in alignment with enterprise goals.
E55 – A New Paradigm: Energy Recovery as a Driver of Low‑Carbon, High‑Efficiency Healthcare
As Healthcare Organizations struggle with post-pandemic construction budgets and rising operational costs driven by natural gas volatility, it is impo…As Healthcare Organizations struggle with post-pandemic construction budgets and rising operational costs driven by natural gas volatility, it is important to derive lessons learned in designing energy efficient hospitals. Healthcare Organizations al…As Healthcare Organizations struggle with post-pandemic construction budgets and rising operational costs driven by natural gas volatility, it is important to derive lessons learned in designing energy efficient hospitals. Healthcare Organizations also seek to reduce carbon emissions and maintain reliable facilities, so operational knowledge from these facilities is critical to making choices in future designs. One of our research findings is tha…As Healthcare Organizations struggle with post-pandemic construction budgets and rising operational costs driven by natural gas volatility, it is important to derive lessons learned in designing energy efficient hospitals. Healthcare Organizations also seek to reduce carbon emissions and maintain reliable facilities, so operational knowledge from these facilities is critical to making choices in future designs. One of our research findings is that there are strikingly different operating models for facilities in Canada. In particular, HDR's British Columbia practice has designed 4 hospitals which have recently opened with Energy Use Intensities below 110 kbtu/sf yr. Much of this is driven by common use of Heat Recovery Chillers and chilled water loops recovering waste heat from Medical Equipment. This engenders a new paradigm in hospital planning. Jason Heinrich in Vancouver analyzes the design of these facilities, including lessons learned from the Richmond Hospital design. Valley Hospital, in Paramus New Jersey, recently opened an 800,000 sf facility with a sophisticated central plant that recovers heat, minimizing energy costs, projected to save over $1/2 Million annually. Joe Lorino, Valley Hospital Facility Manager has lessons learned to inform operating engineers about these systems, now that they have undergone a number of years of operation.Show MoreClick the title to see all detailsShow More
