Two SOM projects have been named to this year’s Sustainia100 list, which celebrates outstanding and transformative sustainable innovations. The guide focuses on tangible solutions that introduce state-of-the-art practices having a positive impact on communities and industries around the world.
The new, 381,000 square-foot Joint and Spine Center at The Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, has been recognized for its approach to enhancing patient health and well-being through increased exposure to natural light and views. Reinterpreting the symbolism of the existing hospital’s illuminated historic cupola, the building design maximizes floor plan porosity, driving sunlight deep into the nursing unit.
Sustainia also named Zhengzhou Greenland Plaza, a 55-story, mixed-use tower in Zhengzhou, China, to the list. The tower’s design features a progressive suite of sustainable performance elements, including a low-e glass curtain wall, a 20-meter heliostat that reflects sunlight down into the tower’s atrium, control systems that allow the building to be naturally ventilated, low-flow plumbing fixtures that increase water efficiency by 30 percent, and a high-performance shading screen that protects the building.