The San Carlos Planning Commission has approved the architectural plans for the PAMF San Carlos Center, which will make it one of PAMF's "greenest" campuses.

The final plans for the medical office building and 97-bed hospital include space for an emergency room, primary and specialty physician services, an urgent care center and a center of excellence in cardiovascular care, as well as laboratory, X-ray and other testing services.

The Center's design will follow the Green Guidelines for Health Care, a best practices guide for healthy and sustainable building design, construction and operations for the health care industry.

The plans will include:

• Devoting nearly half of the site to landscaping so that patients and staff will have access to outdoor space and a walking trail around the perimeter
  
• A north-south orientation of the buildings that will harvest sunlight in the winter while providing sunlight protection in the summer to keep buildings cool; and advanced sun shades and window coatings that will reduce heat buildup from sunlight and decrease the need for air conditioning
  
• "Green roofs" featuring living plants and other natural materials, and special landscaping elements called bio-swales, all of which will help control and filter storm-water runoff
  
• Native, drought-resistant plants in the outdoor areas that require less water
  
• Solar panels to provide hot water for the campus' medical office building
  
• Energy-efficient heating, ventilation, air conditioning and lighting systems
  
• Recycling existing building material on the site, including the steel framing and concrete, as well as some of the crushed concrete from old buildings as a base for the new buildings and roads
  
  "A healthy project design is consistent with our values as an organization to provide patients with high-quality care in a comfortable, healing environment," said David Jury, vice president of Support Services at PAMF.
  
  Visit www.pamf.org/sancarlos for more information and to view images of the Center.