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April C. Woods, PE, LEED AP BD+C

WSP

Biography :

April Woods is a Senior Vice President and Florida Building Systems Director with nearly two decades of experience leading mechanical engineering solutions for major healthcare projects. Known for her collaborative approach, she has been a key contributor to integrated project teams delivering high performing, sustainable healthcare facilities. Since joining WSP USA, April has been deeply committed to sustainable design and is especially proud of her early involvement in Dell Children’s Medical Center—the first healthcare facility in the world to achieve LEED Platinum certification. April is a registered Professional Engineer in multiple states and holds both a Master of Science and Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering from Kansas State University. She was recognized with CSE’s “40 Under 40” Award in 2012, serves on the CSE Advisory Board, and is a founding board member of the AMFP South Florida Chapter.

Presentation :

Mechanical Track

24: Healthcare Electrification v2.0

This session will continue the conversation from FPC 2022 around healthcare electrification and give an update on one of the first {almost} all electric hospitals built in the state of Florida. As the building sector continues to face mounting pressure to address climate change, operational risk, and obsolescence, electrification of healthcare facilities is emerging as a transformative strategy. This session explores how an all-electric design framework has merit for new high-performance healthcare construction and will give an update to a local Florida case study that has successfully implemented electrification strategies. Attendees will learn to understand the drivers behind electrification—beyond just decarbonization — including financial resilience, long-term asset value, and brand alignment. The presentation will address candidly the technical and economic challenges: higher perceived first costs, grid limitations, operational complexity, and regional variation in the carbon footprint of grid electricity. Through real-world case studies, we will examine how projects have navigated these barriers, leveraging advanced design strategies such as energy recovery loops, supplemental electric boilers, and other measures. Participants will collect useful tools for cost mitigation and to maximize value, flexibility, and future readiness—such as early collaboration, energy modeling, and integration of emerging technologies. The session will highlight the critical role of stakeholder communication and change management in successful project delivery. Ultimately, this presentation equips the design and construction community to move beyond the initial resistance, so they can educate their clients on the holistic picture of value and risk for proper decision-making. This will help them with their client offering of resilient and sustainable designs that are positioned for long-term value in a rapidly evolving energy landscape.
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