Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing Engineering Design for Trinity Health

Health care codes require minimum ventilation rates that are set higher than minimum energy code standards, which created a conflict in design. To solve these challenges, PBA incorporated several strategies including Variable Air Volume (VAV) controls, motion sensing, high efficiency equipment and ice storage. The lower level of the 86,000 SF facility includes the following services: Urgent Care Center, Clinical Lab, Diagnostic Imaging, Pharmacy, Pediatrics, family Practice, Internal Medicine, Women’s Health and Public Spaces including food service and classrooms. The upper level includes: Outpatient Surgery Center, Rehabilitation areas, Orthopedics, Biomedical and Receiving.

Because the facility has multiple functions, the design team treated each area as a separate zone. Each zone has a smaller, more efficient air handling unit scheduled to operate only when that area of the facility is open. The pharmacy and physician areas are open only from 8-5, while the community spaces are open in the evening, and the operating rooms are open 14 hours a day.