Small
spaces that are sensitive to environmental contamination pose
challenges requiring extremely delicate construction decisions.
Construction Associates, Inc. met the challenges of the Phelps Memorial
Hospital's Hyperbaric Chamber project head on with very detailed
planning.
The
Chamber, which provides invaluable treatment for a number of serious
medical conditions, was to be located on the lower level of Phelps
Memorial Hospital within a 2,500 square foot space. CAI was tasked
with having to place the 28 foot long chamber which was 9 feet in
diameter and weighed 22 tons, into the side of a building that was
constructed with only 15 foot column spacing. Further
complicating that puzzle was that the space was within an
environmentally sensitive area. And, on top of that, hospital
activities as usual were required - the department could not be shut
down for construction.
Maintaining
a continuously running, clean laundry area with environmental
sensitivity requirements as stringent as those of an operating room was
the biggest challenge of the construction project. Ultimately, it was
determined that the fully functioning clean area be divided into
quadrants. The laundry service was then shifted around each
quadrant. This decision allowed the chamber to be rigged in
straight and required only an 11' x 11' exterior opening through the
side of the building. This creative quadrant approach was the key
to ensuring nonstop laundry serviceand protecting clean linens from
contamination resulting from any construction activities.
Also
located within the small footprint was a back room that contained
massive equipment consisting of 10 tons of A/C and two large 30
horsepower air compressors capable of 130 cubic feet per minute @200
psi. To house all of this, it was necessary to construct a small
addition to the hospital's central "B" wing and create a dedicated
mechanical equipment room.
The
specialized Hyperbaric Chamber offers services to Westchester residents
and Phelps Hospital patients. Construction Associates Inc. is proud to
have provided the construction service and the part it played in helping
Phelps Hospital make this specialized Chamber to its community. rsepower
air compressors capable of 130 cubic feet per minute @200 psi, it was
necessary to construct a small addition to the hospital's central "B"
wing to create a mechanical equipment room.
