As technology in the building industry changes and advances, designers must ask themselves how they can make a building’s Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing systems adaptable for new or emerging technologies. The ability to “future proof” a building’s MEP systems may seem like a daunting task but with planning and foresight based upon the owner’s desires, … Read more
Fueled by the adoption of the Affordable Care Act, the healthcare industry is undergoing a shift from inpatient to an outpatient based model of care. The emergence of “retail healthcare” facilities across the country is evidence of this shift in patient care delivery. This shift, along with growing competition in the market place, has created … Read more
With constantly increasing capabilities of IP-based communications, integration of communications systems in building projects is a major topic of discussion today. Whether it’s as simple as controlling lights and room temperature by using occupancy sensors in a room or as extensive as collecting patient medical information throughout a medical facility into a common database or coordinating … Read more
Regardless if you are a healthcare facility, school or university or a consulting engineering firm, we are all looking for ways to reduce cost, increase quality and drive employee engagement. Lean concepts and principles have long been a part of industry but how can they be applied in a service industry? Some of these principles … Read more
One of the most important times in a project’s lifecycle is the concept design phase. During this phase, the clinical program and project space requirements are defined. One item that is often overlooked during this phase is the mechanical and electrical system requirements. While they may seem insignificant in terms of clinical process, mechanical, electrical … Read more
Making or exceeding your enrollment goal is a good thing, right? Well, maybe… Colleges and universities, especially private institutions, have continued to increase their offering of discount rates to help drive enrollment. This means that, even though enrollment goals have been met, there is less overall revenue to meet rising facility maintenance and operation costs. … Read more
The Joint Commission is increasingly placing emphasis that hospital facilities meet the requirements of The Joint Commission Standard EC.02.05.01, specifically the control of airborne contaminants through proper air pressurization of critical spaces. The Joint Commission reports that 47% of all hospitals in 2013 and 53% of all hospitals in 2014 have received non-compliance scores for … Read more
When looking for a quick, temporary way to distribute power to several devices one might use a power strip. But what if you need a quick, temporary way to distribute power to an entire facility? When Penn State University began a project to build 18,000 square feet of temporary lab space within 24 trailer units, … Read more
The 2014 Guidelines for Design and Construction of Hospitals and Outpatient Facilities (published by The Facility Guidelines Institute) is on the street. Starting in December, the Pennsylvania Department of Health Division of Safety Inspection and Division of Acute and Ambulatory Care will be referencing this edition for all project plan and occupancy approvals. The 2014 … Read more
A recent survey of 35 senior living communities in the Mid-Atlantic region found energy usage varied between 50,000 and 160,000 Btu per square foot per year of total energy usage. Total annual energy costs per square foot ranged from a high of $2.83 to a low of $0.88. Energy is one of the most significant … Read more
The performance of a central utility plant in a healthcare facility is critical to the delivery of safe patient care. There are many important aspects to consider when replacing equipment, upgrading components, or building a new central utility plant. An unplanned outage or equipment failure can result in the loss of ability to treat patients … Read more
Is your food service facility serving the same old food? If not, the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems serving the facility need to change with the times as well. With food service moving toward made-to-order service for students, even in cafeteria atmospheres, the HVAC system should and can follow suit. Below are some … Read more
Healthcare providers continue to move more and more patient care services away from the main hospital into medical office buildings. Medical office buildings that were once used mainly for family practice office visits and check-ups have been retrofitted to house ambulatory surgical centers, chemotherapy infusion suites, kidney dialysis, diagnostic radiology, and cancer treatment modalities such … Read more
From people to structures, all good systems bear upon on a sturdy and reliable framework. Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) infrastructure is the framework of a successful campus. Central equipment, utilities, and buildings are all components of campus infrastructure that help students, faculty, and staff perform to their highest potential. Planning, maintaining, and optimizing your … Read more
The United States Pharmacopeial Convention published a revised edition of their document “A Guide for the Compounding Practitioner USP on Compounding,” in 2013. The document has many chapters and is a guide for those practicing in the pharmacy and compounding field. One chapter, titled USP 797 Pharmaceutical Compounding-Sterile Preparations defines minimum practice and quality standards … Read more
As education trends change, educators are continually developing new means of teaching today’s students. These trends have architects and engineers thinking outside the box to create academic facilities of the future. Not only are classrooms being affected, but there is a dramatic shift in what students and educators are demanding in library designs. In today’s … Read more
“The most important person in the patient room is the patient.” – HermanMiller Healthcare “Patient Rooms: A Changing Scene of Healing” Research Summary, 2010 With the advancements in medical treatment, more procedures and surgeries are performed on an outpatient basis. Therefore, patients requiring hospitalization, tend to be even less healthy than in the past. At … Read more
Student housing has become one of the most important pieces in an institution’s strategic plan to attract prospective students, transition new students to collegiate life, develop and retain students as well as educate students throughout their academic careers. A comprehensive approach to match housing options with developing trends is a critical component both now and … Read more
Section 4.1 of NFPA 99, 2012 Edition, provides a good starting point for assessing risk in building systems. This Section requires that each building system in a healthcare facility be evaluated and assigned a category based on the consequences of that system failing to operate. The categories are: Category Consequence of Failure 1 Major injury or death … Read more
The life of a student on campus has seen a remarkable evolution in the last decade. Students now are more mobile, savvy, and health-conscious than ever. Whereas athletic facilities may have been a nice added touch for prospective students, today they are an integral part of the recruiting process — not only for athletes but … Read more
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