But it won't necessarily smell "new." There will be no lung-stifling paint fumes, no chemicals wafting off the new carpet.
Choosing paint and carpet with lower emissions from volatile organic compounds is just one of the many strategies hospital planners are adopting to make the new medical center one of the "greenest" buildings in Colorado.
In fact, the team building the medical center hopes it will be the first in the country to get a new designation from the U.S. Green Buildings Council, which certifies environmentally sound and energy-efficient buildings.
The council is developing a new set of certification guidelines specifically for hospitals and labs in recognition of some their unique energy needs. Two hospitals in the country — including Boulder Community Hospital's foothills branch in Boulder — have a Green Buildings Council certification for commercial buildings.
Brendan Owens, the council's lead program manager for technical support, said the new guidelines for green hospitals could be ready sometime next year.
The Medical Center of the Rockies construction team has contacted the Green Buildings Council about being the test site for the new certification guidelines, but a decision has yet to be made.
At the very least, the hospital probably will get council certification for a commercial building based on the number of credits it has accrued already for planning environmentally sound design features. Among those are recyclable building materials; energy-efficient heating, ventilation and cooling systems; Xeriscaping; and bicycle storage and changing rooms.
