Project Profile: Banner Desert Medical Center New Patient Tower Commissioning

Engineering firm: Bernhard
2024 MEP Giants rank: 65
2024 Commissioning Giants rank: 13
Project: Banner Desert Medical Center New Patient Tower Commissioning
Location: Mesa, AZ, United States
Building type: Hospital/health care facility
Project type: Addition to existing building
Engineering services: Commissioning, retro-commissioning
Project timeline: March 2021 to July 2023
Commissioning budget: $17,750

Challenges

Bernhard served as the commissioning agent for the Banner Desert Medical Center’s New Patient Tower project. Banner Desert Medical Center is one of the largest and most comprehensive health care facilities in Arizona. Our commissioning team collaborated with Banner Health and the construction team to address 114 commissioning issues identified during the multi-phased project.

Banner Desert Medical Center Women’s Tower New Patient Tower Ribbon Cutting. Courtesy: Bernhard

The new tower stands adjacent to the existing pediatric patient tower, ensuring convenient access for the distinctive health care requirements of women and children. The women’s tower project introduces an innovative approach to women’s care and is poised to become a health care destination catering to women across all stages of life, from childbirth to senior care. The facility boasts 148 new, state-of-the-art inpatient rooms, including a Labor & Delivery unit designed for low- and high-risk deliveries. Furthermore, it encompasses 108 medical/surgical rooms dedicated exclusively to women’s care and recovery. Patients will benefit from specialized amenities such as a dedicated OB triage unit, new C-section operating rooms, seamless access to the 76-bed Level III NICU, and more.

Solutions

Our commissioning efforts for this project prioritized seamless coordination with occupants. We ensured minimal disruption to Banner’s operations, maintaining existing access and exits, and providing timely notifications of any activities affecting their operations.

Banner Desert Medical Center Women’s Tower New Patient Tower Ribbon Cutting. Courtesy: Bernhard

Bernhard’s commissioning team is experienced with the complications of working in active facilities. We look for ways to avoid shutdowns, but when they must occur, we develop and follow procedures that meet the needs of our client and ensure the safety of the occupants, for instance, by taking advantage of weekends/nights when patient care is not in session. If temporary shutdowns are necessary, and for long-term patient care, our commissioning team assisted in developing a Method of Procedure (MOP) for all AHU and pump re-programming that outlines the implementation plan, preparation requirements, notification process, check-out requirements, and potential back-out processes. In addition, our team comprised the documentation for the facility PM to submit a shutdown request. We readied patient care and research areas first, so we have time to obtain shutdown approval. Following the commissioning process, central plant operators reported the smooth operation of the rotating chillers, achieving a level of efficiency they had never witnessed before. All 114 commissioning issues identified during the commissioning process is currently resolved.

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