Medical Construction & Design (MCD) is the industry's leading source for news and information and reaches all disciplines involved in the healthcare construction and design process.
Issue link: https://mcdmag.epubxp.com/i/909550
compressed project sched- ules. These kinds of schedules leave little to no time for the coordination eff orts required for many healthcare projects as they move into the construc- tion phase. The advancements made in BIM during design are often not carried through into the construction process. This leads to poor installations in the fi eld that cannot be prop- erly maintained by hospital maintenance staff . Without proper maintenance, HVAC systems can become vectors for infections. BIM and other model- ing tools have provided great opportunities for designers to eff ectively and accurately coor- dinate the complex and numer- ous systems present within a hospital setting. Unfortunately, the time and eff ort spent modeling and coordinating during design is not transferred to the construction portion of the project through coordina- tion drawings or a construction model. This is typically due to time or cost spent to create coordinated shop drawings. During VE exercises, the coordination eff ort is also a target to help reduce project cost. General contractors and owners need to understand the value these eff orts can have once a project moves into construction. The cost of a single-coordination issue in the fi eld can equal the cost of the coordination drawing process. Without a detailed coordination eff ort, systems and equipment may be installed in inacces- sible locations or without the clearances needed for proper maintenance. This can make routine maintenance activities such as coil cleanings and fi lter replacements diffi cult to the point where they cannot be ac- complished properly. This then leads to performance issues that may not only aff ect patient comfort, but infection control and patient safety, as well. These recent trends lead to potential infection control and patient safety issues. Energy- effi ciency goals primarily focused on the HVAC systems, inadequate project budgets and compressed project schedules all aff ect the primary goals of hospital HVAC systems: patient safety and infection control. Even with all the competing project goals that designers and engineers have to balance with each project, patient safety and infection control still need to be the primary focus. Gregory Hudson, P.E., is a mechanical engineer and project manager at RMF Engineering. He can be reached at Gregory.Hudson@rmf.com. LIMITING DESIGN Patient space designed to limit infection during recovery. Spotlight Healthcare HVAC >> TRENDS continued from 17 Photo: Halkin | Mason Photography A-1094-1017 ©2017 LATICRETE International, Inc. All trademarks shown are the intellectual properties of their respective owners. www.laticrete.com | 1.800.243.4788 SPARTACOTE ™ FLEX PURE ™ Clinical Plus Doc t o r s ' Off ices Waiting R oom s High Traffic Areas Operating Roo m s g Pa ti e nt R oom s Bat h room s Q Mitigates microbial growth Q Fast return to service Q Easy maintenance Q Dozens of colors and textures Q Safe, high traction flooring A Silver Ion, Antimicrobial Coating for Demanding Floors.