WASHINGTON, DC – Sherman Hospital has received a $956,000 award from the US Department of Energy for its geothermal lake at the hospital’s new campus in Elgin, Illinois. The hospital is scheduled to open at the end of the year. In announcing the receipt of the award today, Sherman president and CEO Rick Floyd said, “Sherman Health is honored to receive this award… Our lake is environmentally sound, and we look forward to supporting green energy initiatives in our community and throughout the country.”

The award was funded through the FY08 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, and was designated as one of 117 congressionally directed projects within the Department’s Office ...[more]

ELGIN, IL – The innovative geothermal system at Sherman Hospital, now under construction in Elgin, Illinois, is drawing national and regional press attention this month.

The operational and economic value of the geothermal system, as well as the technology behind it, are discussed in July’s Healthcare Design feature, “Running Hot and Cold”, by Shepley Bulfinch Principal Jonathan Gyory. Shorter pieces have run in the Chicago Tribune and other regional press.

The project is the world’s largest geothermal hospital project currently under construction. The 154-acre site includes a 15-acre manmade lake with a geothermal “net” at the bottom. Installation of the geothermal system, which carried a first-cost price tag of $4.5 million when ...[more]

Bloomington, IL – Site preparation is now underway at Illinois Wesleyan for the newest addition to the university’s main quad: a technology-rich classroom building with a wide array of classroom, study, and social spaces.

Sustainability is the watchword from project outset, as construction waste and debris from the site is recycled. The brick-clad building will be highly energy-efficient, with generous use of natural light and a geothermal field below.

The new classroom building is Shepley Bulfinch’s third project on the Illinois Wesleyan campus, following the Ames Library, which opened in ...[more]

It’s official! Salem State University (Salem, MA) broke ground for its new library and learning commons on December 7. University president Patricia Maguire Meservey and Jacob Segal, chair of the university’s board of trustees, were joined by local political leaders and top state education officials in a ceremony on the university’s north campus.

The 124,000 square foot facility replaces the previous campus library, which was closed in late 2007 for concerns about its structural safety. The four-story library will include instructional labs, group study rooms, and a testing center, and ...[more]

Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven Hospital and Sherman Hospital are among five healthcare facilities recognized for their environmentally responsive design in “Code Green: Examining the Prognosis for Sustainability in Healthcare,” in the August issue of Eco-Structure magazine.

Sherman Hospital opened its new healthcare campus in Elgin, Illinois, in December. The hospital’s 15-acre geothermal lake, which is expected to save the hospital more than $1 million annually over conventional heating and cooling costs, was a creative response that began with the need to manage storm water runoff for the 15-acre site and ...[more]

Three Shepley Bulfinch-designed hospitals have been named finalists for Soliant Health’s 2010 “Top 20 Most Beautiful Hospitals.” Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven Hospital, Connecticut (photo, right); Sherman Hospital, Elgin, Illinois; and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH.

Smilow Cancer Hospital, which saw its first patients in October, creates an oasis of healing in the heart of urban New Haven. Sherman Hospital, which opened on its new campus in December, features a 15-acre lake that offers water views to patients and staff while housing a sophisticated geothermal net that is a cental ...[more]