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
Michael Jacobs, PE, LEED AP has been hired as a Senior Client Manager to work in our York office. With a career spanning over 14 years in Senior Engineering and Project Management, Jacobs brings an extensive list of experience in design, planning and management of healthcare, laboratory and higher education projects to Barton Associates. Jacobs … Read more
In today’s healthcare market, many surgical procedures have moved from the hospital setting to an outpatient setting. Stand-alone outpatient surgery centers allow for same-day surgeries to be more convenient and less expensive for patients and healthcare providers. From the outside, an outpatient surgery center may look like a standard medical office building (MOB) but, below … Read more
As institutions strive to attract and retain the best and brightest students they are facing ever increasing competition from not only “bricks and mortar” institutions, but also from new online options. Perhaps the single greatest difference a bricks and mortar institution can offer is the collegiate experience. Campus life facilities promote this experience by serving … Read more
Renovating or expanding an emergency department can be one of the most challenging projects that a hospital faces. Unless you have the ability to construct a completely new, replacement emergency department, the project will require a phased implementation to ensure that continuous care is available to the hospital’s emergency patients. The mechanical and electrical system … Read more
Manifolding laboratory and fume hood exhaust systems can have many advantages including first cost savings, maintenance and operation savings, system flexibility and system reliability. However, there are some types of laboratory systems that should not be manifolded into a central exhaust system and have special considerations. Some of these include: Perchloric Acid Fume Hoods When perchloric … Read more
One of the many challenges involved in completing a successful operating room project is maintaining environmental conditions which meet the demands of the surgical staff and comply with the applicable healthcare requirements. An important step in designing an operating room is to solicit input from the surgeons and surgical staff early in the design process … Read more
Performing arts centers (PAC’s) present unique opportunities and challenges for owners, operators, designers and contractors alike. They are a unique mix of specialized systems with very specific performance requirements that need to meet the needs of a wide constituency. Whether the PAC serves a sole purpose such as a concert hall or multiple purposes with … Read more
The term “design-day” is used frequently in the HVAC industry, but it can have different meanings and is dependent on many factors. Design-day is typically used to describe a period of time with maximum conditions that a HVAC system was designed to accommodate and maintain the desired indoor temperature and humidity. These conditions can include … Read more
HVAC engineers balance operating costs versus initial costs in their designs every day. One area where this occurs is ducted air systems and their associated fan motors. An air distribution system could be designed with relatively small ductwork and equipment to keep initial costs lower, but the result is higher static pressures and a higher … Read more
Summer is fast approaching and in case you have been putting off those summer cooling preparations the following are some last minute items that can be performed to maximize your cooling equipment’s performance. Inspect air filters in air handling units and clean/replace them if they are dirty. This will allow your air handling unit to … Read more
Building orientation plays an integral role in the way a building heats or cools during the course of a day. Transpired solar walls, also referred to as solar air heating, are green, efficient, and a cost effective method of supplemental air heating. These solar collectors take advantage of south facing exposure and preheat ventilation air … Read more
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