Medical Construction & Design

JAN-FEB 2018

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/935388

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 34 of 62

30 Medical Construction & Design | JA N UA RY/ F EBRUA RY 2018 | MCDM AG.COM and to support the patient care team. Private rooms off er a quieter environment, sup- port the care team's safety and infection prevention protocols and provide additional space and amenities for families and visitors. Each room is designed with a direct path from the bed to the bathroom and provides a sleeper sofa for family mem- bers staying overnight. Patient rooms and other spaces feature natural light, healing color palettes and inspiring artwork. Each patient floor includes a welcome lounge with a fireplace and flexible seating where families can relax or catch up on their work. Touch- screen monitors located at elevator lobbies provide patient information, hospital-naviga- tion directions and video calling with hospital staff . Maintaining hospital operations As the project is being car- ried out in a fully operating healthcare facility, work must be completed with minimal impact on hospital operations and continuous access to all key entry points. Construction of the vertical expansion of the East Tower above the existing patient fl oor was phased in order to allow for proper relocation of patients where noise and disruption might occur, or to tie-ins with plumbing and HVAC. New air handling units were placed on the roof. Infection prevention special- ists participated actively in both design and construction meet- ings throughout the duration of the project. Key design strate- gies that support infection pre- vention include the provision of one negative pressure isolation room per wing (totaling 21); one hand-washing sink (plus the toilet room sink) per patient room and one hand-washing sink with an eye wash per cor- ridor, located at the entrance to the team work space and one alcohol foam dispenser per patient room, plus additional ones throughout the patients units. Other strategies include the transition to private patient rooms, and fi nish materials/de- tails that facilitate ease of clean- ing, including seamless poured epoxy fl ooring at the patient toilet/shower rooms. Collaboration and cooperation Multiple stakeholders col- laborated on the patient units project. Regularly scheduled meetings, conducted from the programming phase through design development and construction, included hospital stakeholders and representatives of the gen- eral contractors for the East Tower vertical expansion (Mortenson Construction) and patient room renovations (RJM Construction). This process was instrumental in avoiding overlapping responsibilities and in maintaining ongoing hospital operations at 100 percent. Building Information Modeling was used, which had numerous benefi ts, including clash detection and system inte- gration. AECOM worked closely with Park Nicollet's Design- Build mechanical and electrical engineering partners to resolve any confl icts. For example, a key design element in the patient corridors is the continuous re- cessed linear wall wash lighting which provides soft, dimmable indirect illumination and avoids the "strobe light eff ect" that ceiling lighting can give bed- bound patients as they move through a corridor. The existing limited fl oor-to-fl oor heights posed a coordination challenge as ductwork needed to pass from corridor, under existing structure and into patient rooms at the same location as the continuous lighting. The team used BIM for visualization, light fi xture modifi cations and mock-ups to achieve a success- ful design resolution. When fully complete, the $140-million hospital modern- ization program will add a total of 60,000 square feet to the hospital and renovate 135,000 square feet, making room for a more personalized experience of care. Matthew D. Sanders, AIA, is a principal and Christine Hester Devens, IIDA, LEED AP, EDAC, is an associate principal with AECOM in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Renovated private patient rooms have fl exible integrated storage and defi ned patient, staff and family zones. The toilet room entry is oriented for ease of access and a sliding door maximizes clearance around the bed. > Renovated patient toilet rooms have improved safety and accessibility features and provide an enhanced patient experience.

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Medical Construction & Design - JAN-FEB 2018