Riverside Methodist Hospital $321 Million Patient Tower and Neuroscience Center

New construction; Riverside Methodist Hospital $321 Million Patient Tower and Neuroscience Center; Dynamix Engineering Ltd.

By Dynamix Engineering Ltd. August 15, 2013

Engineering firm: Dynamix Engineering Ltd.
2013 MEP Giants rank:
86
Project:
Riverside Methodist Hospital $321 Million Patient Tower & Neuroscience Center
Address:
Columbus, Ohio, United States
Building type:
Hospital
Project type:
New construction
Engineering services:
Fire & Life Safety
Project timeline:
March 2012 to March 2015

Challenges

The Riverside Methodist Hospital was constructing a new Neuroscience Tower, which required an alternate electrical service circuit from the utility company. The hospital was fed from an aging residential substation that was not as reliable as desired for the hospital. Necessary electrical upgrades were going to be extremely costly.

Solutions

Working alongside the local power company, Dynamix Engineering analyzed the hospital’s primary power distribution. The firm identified an alternative to the costly upgrades that were initially required and designed an emergency generator plant for 100% backup of the entire neuroscience tower addition and solved existing campus emergency power issues in an adjoining critical care tower. This effort resulted in saving the owner over $18 million in primary power first costs and establishing a new reliable primary circuit for the hospital. The power company also benefited from this design by removing the hospital from an aged, less reliable residential substation. The firm also analyzed the central heating and cooling plants to provide hybrid systems that maximized use of existing plant capacities and minimized mechanical space needed in the new tower, allowing for an increased area for programmed space to provide for enhanced outpatient care programs.

View a presentation from Dynamix Engineering on the Riverside Methodist Hospital.