LAKEWOOD RANCH - A Suncoast doctor wanted his office to be not just a place that promotes health, but a healthy environment as well. Plastic Surgeon Dr. Joshua Kreithen has accomplished both with one of the first LEED-certified doctor's offices in the state.
You feel relaxed from the moment you walk in. The soothing sounds, attractive building materials and the extensive use of natural lighting. It's everything Dr. Joshua Kreithen envisioned for his practice. "Me personally, I spend more waking hours here in my office than I do at home, and I knew I was going to be here for the next 20 or 30 years. So I wanted to be in a place that is as healthy as possible and also for my employees and my patients to be in a place that's like an oasis," says Dr. Kreithen.
Dr. Kreithen hired green architect Michael Carlson to create this oasis. It includes low-VOC paint, stain, caulk and adhesives. And renewable resources like cork and bamboo flooring and recycled carpet squares were used. Each of the rooms has an occupancy sensor that will turn off the lights when no one is using it, and automatically turn them on when someone walks inside.
One of Carlson's favorite elements is the use of natural light throughout the practice. "So we were able to share the light from the outside through these high windows in this corridor and let it come in and flood the whole space," says Carlson.
Both the doctor and the architect hope this LEED certified project inspires other businesses to do the same. "Saving money, saving the resources of the planet, giving your clients a healthy place to be, giving your employees a healthy place to be, it makes sense on all those different levels, sustainablility delivers across all those platforms," Carlson adds.
"I think everything is interconnected and when you promote an idea of health and of well being and really the whole concept of being green, it all comes together and I think the whole process has been a really good journey," says Dr. Kreithen.
Here's one more piece of green evidence. Studies show staff productivity increases up to 18% inside LEED certified green buildings.
