Shapiro Cardiovascular Center

Open 24 hours a day and meeting strict interior environmental requirements, hospitals are notorious energy hogs, making LEED certification difficult. The Shapiro Cardiovascular Center, built in accordance with the Green Guide for Health Care and LEED standards, attained LEED Silver certification in 2009, making it one of New England’s first LEED-certified hospital facilities.

An early commitment to sustainable practices enabled the recycling of more than 90% of construction waste during the building’s three-year construction schedule, as well as the use of building materials containing significant recycled content. Electricity conservation measures include high-efficiency air handlers, low-E windows, sunshades, low-energy light fixtures, and abundant daylighting; more than 75 percent of interior spaces receive natural light. Use of low-emitting adhesives, sealants, carpets, and paints throughout the facility preserves air quality, while low-flow plumbing fixtures reduce water consumption.
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The 420,000 sf state-of-the-art Shapiro Cardiovascular Center enhances Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s stature as one of the world’s leading medical centers, exceeding the hospital’s high standards for program, efficiency, and context. Its strong connectivity to the existing hospital building and campus is the culmination of thoughtful planning and responsive architectural articulation—striking a balance between public spaces, which invite gatherings and philanthropic events, and more intimate areas that offer a sense of warmth and comfort. The Center provides operating suites for cardiac and vascular surgery, diagnostic and treatment facilities, variable-acuity inpatient units, ambulatory care clinics, and a range of public amenities, including dining, conference and family centers. An elevated walkway connects the Center to the hospital’s main pedestrian spine, the “Pike,” and below-grade levels unite new and existing surgical services.

Within its circulation system, a series of strategically positioned public spaces with engaging views, facilitate wayfinding throughout the Center, while offering opportunities for repose and relaxation. In addition, to avoid the typically dispiriting institutional feeling, double-height spaces with interconnecting stairways create waiting rooms with a gracious living room setting. Patient rooms around the building’s perimeter feature large windows that provide abundant soothing natural light. All patient rooms are private and include a family zone; moreover by introducing transparency in selected interior partitions, natural light is filtered from patient rooms into hallways and nurses stations, greatly enhancing the interior environment.