How to design hospital, health care facility HVAC systems

1 AIA CES approved LU and 1 AIA CES approved HSW available for attendees upon successful completion of the course.

Hospital and health care facility projects are especially important due to their sensitive nature. The heating, ventilation and air conditioning system must be based on high design standards — it’s hard to think of an engineering project with higher standards than a hospital or health care facility.

Successfully designed and installed systems can be a matter of a patient catching a hospital acquired infection — or as severe as life and death situations. Indoor air quality and indoor environmental quality make HVAC systems a high priority, which can create engineering challenges. Mechanical engineers must know how to reduce the potential for infection and airborne pathogen dispersion in hospitals and health care facilities as they relate to HVAC systems and design.

Learning objectives:

• Explain the applicable codes and standards: ASHRAE Standard 62.1: Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality; ASHRAE Standard 170: Ventilation of Health Care Facilities; NFPA 101: Life Safety Code; NFPA 90A: Standard for the Installation of Air-Conditioning and Ventilating Systems; and NFPA 99: Health Care Facilities Code.
• Determine how to reduce the potential for infection and airborne pathogen dispersion in hospitals and health care facilities as they relate to HVAC systems and design.
• Explain the definition of hospital acquired infection and indoor air quality, why they are important considerations for engineers and methods that may be employed to improve or eliminate problems.
• Comprehend data from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to better design hospital air systems.

Course Instructors:
Gregory Quinn, PE, NCEES, LEED AP, Principal, Health Care Market Leader, Affiliated Engineers Inc., Madison, Wis.
J. Patrick Banse, PE, LEED AP, Senior Mechanical Engineer, Smith Seckman Reid, Houston

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