When Barton Associates was tasked with designing the domestic water system for the Nemours Children’s Health Specialty Care & Ambulatory Center located in Malvern, PA, cost savings for the owner and simplifying construction for the contractor were on our minds. Typical domestic water systems plumb cold water and 110°F hot water to most fixtures; however, … Read more
Cooling towers are the most energy-efficient method available to reject heat from a building’s air conditioning system, but they are also the most maintenance-intensive option. Air conditioning is a way of life now; you rarely find commercial buildings without air conditioning in the mid-Atlantic region. We use it for human comfort, to preserve products, to … Read more
If you are considering a new building or a major renovation in 2024, you are already too late. You may even have difficulty finishing in 2025. For structural materials, mechanical equipment, electrical gear, and many other critical building components, the time from when it is ordered until it arrives on site has increased dramatically since … Read more
Significant changes are set to affect the building industry this year. National changes like refrigerant phase-outs due to global warming potential, and regional changes, like the tri-annual code updates. While increased cost of capital may have some owners thinking about delaying projects, other factors should be considered to have a full picture of what that delay … Read more
As energy resources become more scarce and global political issues threaten energy security and standards of living, the developed world has been focusing on alternative sources of energy. These sources of energy have ranged from renewable natural gas and “clean coal” to naturally renewable sources such as wind and solar. With any new energy transition, … Read more
Certification that the cleanroom is operating within the ranges set forth is the final step before occupancy and use of the pharmacy. The goal of the HVAC systems design is so that the users have a functional system that meets their requirements which they have verified is safe for compounding. United States Pharmacopeia (USP) <797> … Read more
Compounding hazardous drugs is a chemically volatile process, which means that tight control of air pressure, temperature, and humidity is required. Thus, when designing compounding areas, it is critical to determine an acceptable time delay before alarming and when and how often to report these values when out of compliance. Most mechanical systems are not … Read more
Compounding pharmacies require tight temperature, relative humidity, and pressurization control to operate in compliance with the current standards. Those standards are set to change in the coming months, and we’ve put together a series of articles to help navigate the new requirements. Balancing and actively controlling the airflow to achieve the correct pressure relationships in … Read more
There is an aspect of healthcare facility design that neither the design team nor the healthcare facility can avoid in any project – the classification of patient care areas and associated risk assessments. The Facility Guidelines Institute (FGI) Design and Construction for Hospitals, and FGI Design and Construction for Outpatient Facilities, and NFPA 99, The … Read more
Every year, electrical safety accidents rank in the top ten of workplace-related fatalities and cause 75,000 plus workers to miss time to due shock and burn injuries. The threat of inadvertent shock, electrocution, and fire from electrical equipment has long been a known hazard in the electrical industry. In the last 20 years, however, the … Read more
When planning for new lighting in your building, you will need to assess whether the current energy code will require new lighting controls to be included. But anyone who has picked up a code book knows it can feel a bit like fumbling your way through a “Choose Your Own Adventure” novel. So, to help … Read more
Remote and hybrid work schedules appear to be here to stay in many office environments. If you lease your office space, hopefully you can “right-size” your space requirements so that you can save cost the next time your lease is due for renegotiation. However, what happens when you’re on the other side of that equation, … Read more
Protection of the water supply system is paramount to the health and safety of not only the occupants of your building but also everyone else that is supplied water through a connection to the water system. Chapter 6 of the International Plumbing Code (IPC) is an example of where you will find the requirements that … Read more
With the winter weather upon us and the cold spell we had at the end of December, we took the time to review some of the means for freeze protection of piping and equipment with our staff. Our goal of continuous quality improvement turned into more of a round table discussion with various team members … Read more
Every four years, the Facility Guidelines Institute (FGI) updates their Guidelines for Design and Construction of Hospitals and Outpatient Facilities to stay up to date with current technologies and design concepts. From an MEP standpoint, the guidelines are updated to improve patient well-being, necessitate safer system operation, and to improve environmental quality in our health … Read more
With energy codes pushing for more complex lighting controls in buildings, it’s no wonder Owners can feel overwhelmed when faced with questions about how they want their lighting to function. To make this subject feel less daunting, below are strategies to keep the systems simple and easy to use from an Owner’s perspective. Strategy #1: … Read more
Medical gas systems rank high on the list of resources necessary for a hospital to function. Oxygen, medical air, vacuum, and other systems support all manner of life-saving and life-sustaining procedures, from providing oxygen therapy for a COVID-19 patient to providing vacuum during a heart transplant. In 1987, the American Society of Sanitary Engineering (ASSE) … Read more
With construction costs rising across the board, every dollar counts when planning for a project. Lately, many owners are getting surprised by a substantial cost that presents itself late in the project. Commissioning. Did you know that your project may require commissioning even though it is not a LEED or other green initiative project? Starting … Read more
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will adopt the 2018 International Plumbing Code for construction projects, except for two municipalities (the City of Philadelphia and Allegheny County), on February 14, 2022. There will be a six-month grace period during which some may be reviewed under the 2015 IPC. Construction projects, regardless of circumstances, will be designed in … Read more
As Pennsylvania begins enforcement of 2018 International Mechanical Code, it’s important to understand what, if any changes could affect your project. This is particularly important if you’ve had a project shelved due to the pandemic and are planning to dust it off this year. Whether it was a funding issue, price of materials, or just … Read more
