Overview
The Christiana Hospital E-Tower Expansion project created an integrated Cardiac and Vascular Center of Excellence. The design consisted of a new 340,500 SF, nine-story facility, providing additional beds needed through the end of this decade while enhancing education capabilities for staff and the community.
The facility encompasses intensive and critical care units, step-down telemetry and patient care units, infectious isolation rooms, outpatient services, medical library, education and conference center, ambulance and loading docks, mechanical/electrical equipment rooms and multiple connections to the existing hospital.
The Solution
Challenges included expansion of the existing central utility system including weaving 2,000 feet of electrical ductbank around the site to serve the addition. Other challenges included interconnection with the existing facility on multiple levels, shallow floor plate heights, increased infection control requirements and the requirement to provide phased design with minimal disruption to the surrounding functioning medical center.
Through an integrated design process and weekly multidisciplinary collaboration, the goals of the multiple stakeholders were satisfied while achieving the overall project objectives. By taking a creative “whole building design” approach, the RMF design staff was able to grasp the physical and budgetary realities and design a highly cost efficient yet fully functional hospital building. The project was managed by our in-house construction services team from beginning to end ensuring that the project was completed on time and on budget and, most importantly, meets our customer’s expectations.
Engineering Highlights
- Expands Christiana Care’s cardiovascular program with an integrated suite of Cardiac and Vascular interventional rooms.
- Establishes a state-of-the-science education conference center.
- Provides multi-purpose rooms to accommodate classroom, conference and team meeting uses.
- Creates significant additional parking.
People & Technology Leveraged
Harmonic cancelling transformers were provided to significantly reduce harmonics in the electrical system, reduce energy usage, and provide quality power to improve patient care.
Energy & Environmental
All pumps and fans controlled via variable speed drives to maximize equipment performance. Manifolded variable air volume systems to give the facility maximum individual thermal comfort control at the lowest initial and operating cost.
