Port Macquarie Base Hospital – Mental Health Expansion
Parts 4–9 Design Development and Construction Services
Health Infrastructure delivered a new 24 bed acute mental health inpatient unit and refurbishment of existing unit at Port Macquarie Base Hospital within the Mid North Coast Local Health District. This stage was handed over in February 2019.
Design requirements required to Building Code of Australia, Australian Health Facility Guidelines and NSW Health Engineering Services Guidelines.
EPES were engaged by Health Infrastructure to deliver the Mechanical Services and Medical Gases design and were involved in the Construction and Commissioning of the works.
Project Information
Location: Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia
Client: Health Infrastructure
Engagement: Mechanical Services Consultant
Sectors: Buildings, Hospitals and Healthcare
Services: Building Services, Commissioning Assistance, Construction and Design Consulting, Digital Engineering
Year: 2017
The Problem
There are several key design challenges with mechanical services within an acute mental health unit requiring careful and pragmatic considerations:
1. Safety precautions and special anti-ligature requirements
2. Restricted access into inpatient areas and ceiling voids
3. Potential high levels of disruption with maintenance access in the unit
4. Safety risks for staff accessing the space to perform maintenance
5. Sustainable focus on reducing energy use
6. Maximising value for tax payers
7. Minimising additional maintenance costs for the Local Health District
Analysis and Implementation
We considered several different options for delivering heating, cooling and ventilation to the facility, with careful review of how the site currently operated:
- How is existing maintenance performed?
- Can we design out maintenance access inside the unit?
- What maintenance contracts are in place and with who?
- How do maintenance staff think these problems should be overcome?
- Is there opportunity to utilise existing systems to avoid introducing new plant?
The design solution dramatically reduced the need for maintenance personnel to enter the unit with all air conditioning and ventilation plant located within the building under croft accessible without having to enter the unit.
- Interconnected new unit with high efficiency water cooled chillers already in operation with high levels of surplus capacity
- Relocated all air handling plant and ventilation fans into the under-croft plant area so maintenance access into the unit was less than once a year and system issues could be resolved from outside the unit at any time of the day
- Positioned the majority of fire and smoke dampers within the under croft for ease of access for inspections utilising fire rated boots below floor slab and minimising ductwork crossing of fire/smoke compartments.
Outcome
Benefits for the client and end users include:
- Utilising existing chillers and boilers negated the need for any additional maintenance contracts or extension of existing agreements
- Utilising existing BMCS provider
- Engagement with maintenance staff and delivering a maintenance friendly solution will greatly improve reliability with lower costs
- Energy savings will be significant as existing chillers offer much higher efficiencies than dedicated air-cooled options.
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