When the construction of Muskogee Community Hospital is completed next year, it could become the first “green” hospital in the nation to earn “gold.”

Green symbolizes the facility’s environmentally friendly design and sustainable systems incorporated in its construction and future operations.

Gold represents the rating developers hope to achieve by adhering to standards advocated by the U.S. Green Building Council and its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system.

“Three years ago, when I started talking about building a green hospital, people would inevitably ask me, ‘What color of green,’” said Mark Roberts, president of Muskogee Community Hospital LLC.

Levity aside, Roberts said incorporating environmentally sound building techniques with an eye toward sustainability is something that takes much planning and work. In order to earn LEED certification, each step of the planning and construction phases is subject to scrutiny.

“This is not a one-time deal,” Roberts said. “It’s deeper than that — it’s a lifestyle.”

Harry Knight, director of construction services for Golden, Colo.,-based Aardex LLC, said sustainable building design concepts and construction techniques recognize the fact that the world is a “finite place with a finite amount of resources.”

With that in mind, Knight said, architects and builders look for ways to incorporate recycled materials and materials easily recyclable into the construction phase. Mechanical systems are designed to increase the efficiency of heating, cooling and lighting the hospital. Keeping an eye toward conservation helps minimize water use and waste.

“We’re fairly proud of what we are doing out here,” Roberts said about the project’s focus on sustainability. “We think we are going to be the first gold-certified hospital in the nation.”

Green building technology is more than a way to make a statement about — or commitment to — environmentally sound practices, Roberts said.

Those environmentally sound design and building concepts are the same considered for LEED certification. According to the U.S. Green Building Council, its LEED rating system examines six major areas of focus:

• Sustainable sites.

• Water efficiency.

• Energy and atmosphere.