Walt Vernon, PE, LEED AP, EDAC, FASHE, JD, LLM

I have nearly 30 years of experience in the research, planning, and design of healthcare facilities. My contributions to the industry include serving as a founding member of the Built Environment Network, whose intent is to advance knowledge in the healthcare facilities network. In addition, I was one of the Co-Coordinators for the Green Guide for Health Care, served on the board of both Practice Greenhealth and Health Care Without Harm, and wrote the section on hospitals for CalGreen. I also was principal author for the World Health Organization’s Health in the Green Economy, as well as AHA’s Sustainability Roadmap for Hospitals – A Guide to Achieving Your Sustainability Goals. I particularly excel at helping our clients anticipate what the future holds, and how that will impact the operations of their facilities; partnering with them to plan and finance; and ultimately, working to get critical projects done to ensure long-term/sustainable operations that make sense.

I’ve worked all over the country, and in recent years have branched out into the developing world, including work in Haiti, Liberia, and South Africa—some of which has been on a pro-bono basis. My passion is not only helping to upgrade or rebuild the healthcare facilities in these regions, but also helping to ensure the health of their communities, which are often centered on these facilities.

I’m very active on committees that have a large impact on the codes and standards involved in the design of healthcare facilities. I chair the Electrical Systems Technical Committee for NFPA 99 and co-chaired the ANSI/IEEE White Book: Recommended Practice for Electric Systems in Health Care Facilities. I also chair the R&D Committee for the Healthcare Guidelines Revision Committee (HGRC), and, in that role in particular, I’m exploring the future of healthcare, and the relationship of buildings to the delivery of that care. I’m also the Vice Chair for ASHRAE 189.3, and a member of The Center for Health Design’s Research Coalition.