Improving Health Sector Construction and Design

This is a time where the importance of our health centres and the flow of effects this can have for our communities couldn’t be clearer. We cannot understate the significance of these services and the buildings that house them. Coupled with the fact public infrastructure spending is needed to drive economic activity, for some businesses in the construction industry the health sector will be a lifeline in more ways than one. At BVT, we have learnt a few lessons from involvement in health sector construction projects and how they must be treated compared to a regular commercial project, below are some key considerations that affect the contractors involved from an interior engineering perspective. These concepts are needed for higher quality projects with more value within the Health Sector. Coordinate Health facility building interiors are where many trades and services clash, interweave, connect and synchronise. Coordination of these different elements provide many benefits, which are then magnified on a critical infrastructure project. Medical developments see more specialty trades involved in construction and generally the volume of services within hospitals is much higher as well. Consider the integration of elements such as high spec ventilation, power intensive equipment and medical gas and combine this with specialty requirements such as radiation proof linings and rooms with constant pressure leads to intricate design complexities and it increasingly complex. These are design challenges that can and have been overcome, however more thought is needed on internal structures in order to accommodate them. Hospitals are critical Hospitals are critical infrastructure so remaining operational with no damage is essential. This is particularly relevant due to the increased demand on their services after a disaster, such as an earthquake or a major storm. This means the buildings need to be designed to withstand much more adverse wind and seismic forces, in short they must be able to operate after a 1 in a 2500 year event. If we compare this to a typical office building which has to be designed for a 1 in 500 year event, it can be seen the requirements are quite different. On top of designing for a bigger event, there are generally a large number of people located in a hospital during peak occupancy, meaning there are more lives at risk within the building if elements were to fail. Smarter not harder, it makes sense and dollars For these projects, more thought needs to be put into the design so the building materials are correct and consideration has been made for ease of installation when it comes to coordinating with other trades. The best approach we have found is to tackle the overall structural coordination before a tool has been lifted on site. Highlighting areas of potential clashes or issues, applying practical thinking and moving forward. Like any good design, the solution seems easy and simple, which is exactly how you want your project to progress. On the other hand, poor design or lack of design early in the project can lead to many complications on site which cause all involved a lot more time and money. Value in engineering design Value engineering is a term that has been attributed to many areas of a project, however there are some very real savings of time and money that can be made on a large or complex project. Every contractor has stories of when a project has blown out due to an unforeseen engineering design, the materials associated and the labour involved to implement it. It is a fact that materials need to be up-spec'd for a hospital because of greater design loads, however there is also huge potential for value engineering. Working collaboratively to incorporate within the design proprietary products for ease of installation, or materials that are far more cost effective can reduce overall project costs significantly. If you have anything to add on the points above from your experience in Health Sector projects or what to discuss further, feel free to touch base here .