In February 2023, Henry Ford Health, Michigan State University and Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores announced a plan to invest $2.5 billion into Detroit’s New Center neighborhood through a joint venture. The scope of the project includes a medical research center, hospital expansions, housing developments and public spaces. The goal of the community development project is to turn New Center into “a vibrant, walkable health care community with state-of-the-art residential, commercial, retail, recreational and health care components,” officials said in a press release. The health system plans to tear down the Health Alliance Plan headquarters and construct a $1.8 billion hospital in Detroit’s New Center area across the street from the existing Henry Ford Hospital, officials announced. The new facilities will feature all private patient rooms, an expanded emergency department, intensive care units and advanced operating suites.
Alongside efforts to build a new hospital campus that aims to become the “premier academic medical center and destination for the most advanced care, research and education,” the Henry Ford Health team has a goal to reduce their environmental impact and emission. This is in alignment with The White House/HHS Health Sector Climate Pledge, a voluntary commitment to climate resilience and emissions reduction that includes cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 0% by 2023 and achieving net zero emissions by 2050.
Creating a climate resilience plan is a key factor for hospital systems working to create a positive impact on their communities; ensuring building materials do not go to a landfill futhers this pursuit. The built environment is responsible for 42% of global CO2 emissions, 15% of that is embodied and 27% is operational (Why The Built Environment – Architecture 2030). New hospitals can contribute to patient wellbeing by focusing on healthy building materials, avoiding chemicals of concern, and addressing embodied carbon in addition to operational carbon.
Maintaining their commitment to reduce their emissions, the visionaries at Henry Ford Health took advantage of every opportunity to reuse or recycle building materials from the Health Alliance Plan headquarters demolition. With an estimated 42,000 pounds of carpet tile, how were they going to ensure the material was recycled?
