EDGE Certification for Healthcare Buildings: A Guide for Family Health Centres, Health Centres and Hospitals

Healthcare buildings are one of EDGE's fastest-growing categories. In Türkiye, family health centres (ASM) and migrant health centres (GSM/GGSM) built under the SHIFA Project are being certified at the EDGE Advanced level. In this article we explain how EDGE works for healthcare buildings, drawing on lessons from the eight SHIFA healthcare buildings we have completed.

Why is the base building different for healthcare?

EDGE defines a separate building type for healthcare: clinic, diagnostic centre, public/private hospital, teaching hospital, nursing home, etc. The base building's ventilation and hot water loads are higher than for housing, so heat-recovery ventilation and an efficient hot water system deliver large gains.

The path to the 40% energy target

• Envelope: Adequate insulation in external walls and roof; double/triple Low-E glazing; control of the window-to-wall ratio.
• HVAC: VRF or heat pump; fresh-air handling unit with heat recovery; sensor-based control.
• Lighting: LED + occupancy/daylight sensors.
• Hot water: Heat-pump or solar-assisted system.
• Renewables: Rooftop PV adds a further 10–20% in most family health centres.

In the healthcare buildings we have certified, energy savings ranged from 28–57%, water savings from 51–75% and materials savings from 30–48%.

Water: the easiest category to win

With low-flow basin taps, dual-flush cisterns and efficient urinals, exceeding 50% is possible. The critical point: the flow rate (l/min) must be clearly stated on the product datasheet.

Materials: decide at the design stage

The floor system, wall material and insulation type determine most of the materials score. These choices must be finalised before the shell construction starts.

Integration with the acceptance process

SHIFA projects have no separate preliminary (design) certification stage; they go directly to the final certificate, and the final certificate is part of the acceptance file. A total of 4 weeks should be allowed for the site audit and GBCI review; the audit should be scheduled at least 4 weeks before provisional acceptance.

SHIFA Project and the EDGE requirement →