Consulting engineer, Crofton, has completed a ‘challenging’ M&E contract at Ashford’s William Harvey Hospital in Kent, as part of the delivery, by Cardy Construction, of a new ‘high tech’ orthopaedic operating theatre and modern obstetric operating theatre there.
Ian Marriott, the Crofton director heading the project, explained: “The need for ‘ultra clean’ air in the orthopaedic theatre saw a Howorth Exflow 28 laminar flow system installed. Two major challenges were a lack of space in the ceiling void for the services for it, and the hospital’s high dependency unit (HDU) being directly above, with its own services incorporated in the same void.
“Fortunately, some redundant services could be stripped out to make room, but this work, and the new services’ installation, required careful planning, and saw us compile detailed drawings for the contractor, who we also intensively monitored to ensure there was no disruption to the medical equipment in the HDU. Much of the existing pipework and ductwork could not be moved, but we identified areas that could be diverted.”
The project also involved the refurbishment of an existing theatre to create a new obstetrics theatre, for emergency caesarean procedures, with a separate resuscitation room; the two ‘spaces’ required different air temperatures. With air within the resuscitation room needing to be ‘cleaner’ and at a higher temperature (28° C), Crofton’s M&E design needed to ensure that air flow was one-way. Air pressure stabilisers in both rooms’ walls ‘force’ air to flow in particular directions.
Crofton had to ‘reconfigure’ some of its work at the Hospital in line with the latest HTM and British Standards regulations. With some changes to these taking effect from January 2013, it subsequently worked with the contractor to re-design and retrofit electrical earthing systems.
Two new rooftop plant rooms were built, which incorporate Moducel air-handling units, McQuay chillers, and electrical switchgear, to provide heating, cooling, ventilation, and power for both new units. Careful planning was required so the chilling units could be safely ‘craned in’ over occupied areas of the hospital, a process which saw contractor and crane company liaise closely with the hospital’s management, who arranged for appropriate hospital beds to be empty during the ‘lifting in’.
Crofton also oversaw the installation of surgeons’ panels from Starkstrom in both theatres, which also provided the UPS / IPS systems. Standby electrical equipment is backed up by uninterrupted power supply system generators.
Crofton’s upgrade work was undertaken because the Hospital is now the local area’s designated major trauma unit. The company has worked previously on several other projects at the 476-bed facility.
