A Contribution to Sustainability at Gold Coast University Hospital

One of the largest public health infrastructure projects to be completed in Australia, the $1.76 billion Gold Coast University Hospital was designed to incorporate major sustainability initiatives encompassing energy and water efficiency as well as indoor environmental quality, open space, materials and transport.

Armstrong World Industries (Australia) Pty Ltd supplied their Australian-made low VOC vinyl floor and wallcoverings to the new Gold Coast University Hospital.

Armstrong supplied over 1 million square feet of their vinyl flooring and wallcoverings, contributing to the sustainability objectives of the hospital project. The company’s floor and wall products have been independently certified as best environmental practice PVC.

Armstrong ran an on-site scrap recycling operation to reduce waste to landfill. Through this initiative, the company recycled over 10 tons of vinyl floor and wallcovering material waste at the hospital site, which represented a significant portion of the 80 tons of waste material processed by the company in 2013.

One of the largest producers of resilient flooring in the world and the only Australian manufacturer of resilient vinyl sheet and tile products, Armstrong is committed to improving the lives of the 200-plus people employed in their business as well as the millions who use their products every day.

Armstrong’s environmental focus began in 2003 and was based on the premise that whatever was good for the environment was also good for business. This integrated approach has been delivering results for the company by reducing their dependence on imports and providing the motivation to further improve their environmental performance to leverage even more growth.

Armstrong’s environmental agenda aims to build further on recycling post-consumer waste streams; cut water usage by 30%; reduce emissions by 40%; be neutral to landfill; and recycle flooring at the end of its useful life.