Colombo, Sri Lanka — The soon-to-be-built Embassy Medical Center in Colombo, Sri Lanka, which is being designed by the Minneapolis office of Perkins+Will, is looking to achieve a number of sustainable firsts with the first Medical Bio-Anaerobic incinerator, the first community energy resource, the first modern use of open air terraces off patient rooms and the first incorporation of eight stories of open air water cooling waterfall. The goal is create the “model” LEED/GGHC medical center and to achieve “living building” status.

Additionally, the 500,000-square-foot facility is designed for catastrophic events such as hurricanes, Tsunami and earthquakes. This facility is designed to provide service and shelter during and following a natural disaster — in fact, the facility hopes to sustain itself and the community in times of natural disaster. For the immediate community, this facility will be the supplier of energy and a collector of waste products. In addition, the community will be encouraged to use the hospital as a civic building rather than just a place to come during health issues.

It is being designed to handle 85 to 98 percent of its waste on-site; to use 30 to 50 percent less energy to operate than similar sized facilities; to collect or process 100 percent of all water needs on-site; to reduce water usage 40 to 60 percent versus similar sized hospitals; and produce on-site 100 percent of the natural gas and electricity needed to operate the hospital. Visit www.perkinswill.com for more information.