SUSTAINABILITY PROFESSOR FÁBIO BITENCOURT – ARCHITECT


Impact of sustainability on design and build


Sustainability has been an important issue during discussions about the planning and construction of buildings for health services since the beginning of this century, but how does this impact on architecture and engineering?


In 1972, during the United Nations (UN) Conference on the Human Environment held in Stockholm, Sweden, the environment was added to the list of global problems that would later lead to the creation of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).1


During the


same year, the Club of Rome published The Limits to Growth report, which warned that natural resources were being wasted and that there would not be enough to support the accelerated development of the world. It also warned that the fast growth of the world population was becoming one of the main risk factors to the survival of the human race.


In 1987, 15 years later, the Commission of the United Nations Environment Organization, which was co-ordinated by the prime minister of Norway, Gro Harlam Brundtland, and known as the Brundtland Commission, published another important document entitled ‘Our Common Future’. It introduced the term ‘sustainable development’ as “satisfying the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”2 The terms ‘energy inefficiency’ and


‘waste’ are commonly linked to the hospital environment. This can be due to a lack of control of administrative and


operational management or the functional characteristics that demand reserve systems are available at any time. There is significant waste of electricity


in many hospitals all over the world. However, researchers and professionals working in architecture management and hospital engineering agree that it is


Fábio Bitencourt Fábio Bitencourt is an architect, professor and researcher.


He has a doctorate in sciences of architecture and a masters in healthcare comfort. He has been a member of the executive committee of the International Federation of Hospital Engineering (IFHE) since 2014. He is a member of the Brazilian


Academy of Hospital Management (ABAH) and the International Academy for Design and Health and leader of the South America Chapter. A professor in post graduate courses in architecture,


healthcare, ergonomics and hospital management, he is author of various books and publications on hospital architecture, human comfort, healthcare environments and ergonomics. He was also president of the Brazilian Association of Healthcare Building (Associação Brasileira para o Desenvolvimento do Edifício Hospitalar) (ABDEH) from 2011-2014.


IFHE DIGEST 2019


possible to reduce environmental impact using simple, low cost measures, which can include modifying procedures accordingly. Another area for consideration is the


acquisition of equipment and materials that are used for the operation of the hospital and considering options such as recycling, energy efficiency and possible re-use.


Comfort and sustainability New energy technologies have become increasingly important. The current system, which relies on a network of large electricity suppliers, continues to have an impact on climate change and studies carried out in various parts of the world have led to increasing international concern. The Brazilian Association for the


Development of the Hospital Building (ABDEH) and the International Federation of Hospital Engineering (IFHE) produce journals relating to health architecture and engineering that are an important


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