In 2008, the medical center featured several pilot projects that were aimed at minimizing the complex’s impact on the environment. One of the most successful of the projects was a pervious paving installation for the complex’s parking lots, which covers about 30 acres and creates an immense challenge for managing storm water. Pervious materials are highly porous, so they allow water from precipitation and other sources to pass through, reducing runoff and, at the same time, recharging the groundwater. Parking lots featuring pervious surfaces do not require the organization to install a costly sewer infrastructure.
“I feel the permeable pavement in our parking lots has been the most beneficial” of the projects, Gonzales says. “It’s very low maintenance and truly works the way it was designed.”
Despite the challenges the facilities have presented, Gonzales and his team continue their efforts to implement strategies that ensure the facilities operate as cost-effectively and energy-efficiently as possible in support of the organization’s sustainability goals.
“The Modesto campus has been selected to be the template site for a major energy-conservation implementation,” he says. “There has been an energy master plan developed that includes installing a cogeneration plant and thermal storage system, among many other items, which could potentially save the Modesto campus upwards of one million dollars a year.”
Editor’s note: Read the original Project Management profile of the Modesto Medical Center here.
Bumps in the Road to Sustainability: One Hospital's Story
Hospital's Parking Lot Project Earns High Marks
