Best Practices for Project Management, Design, and Construction of ...

the design assistance from the manufacturer to design the room to support the physical
requirements (electrical, mechanical, plumbing, space needs, etc.) of the equipment.
Clinical equipment manufacturers’ work with the project designers to provide a floor plan
for approval by the owner, this floor plan is the basis of design for the equipment
installation and operation.
Typically large hospital projects are designed in increments. Increment 1 would be
foundation and steel, Increment 2 would be the build out of the floors, Increment 3 clinical
equipment, etc. Increment 1 and Increment 2 plans would include designed shelled space
for the clinical equipment. This space should be labeled on the plans for the intended
future use. Increment submittals should be submitted up front. This will assist OSHPD
plan reviewers and improve plan review turnaround time.
Determining the schedule for the selection and delivery/installation of the equipment is a
collaborative effort by the owner and the design team. One effective method is to use the
project schedule to determine the date of beneficial occupancy and then work back. The
manufacturer has an installation and testing schedule requirements, the design team can
provide the schedule requirements for design, OSHPD and construction. With this
information, a procurement schedule can be developed.
Designers should design the “shell space” large enough to accommodate any
manufacturers’ clinical equipment of the type needed. The mechanical, electrical and
plumbing (MEP) systems should be sized accordingly to meet equipment needs. Some
owners require the designers to increase MEP system’s capacity by 10% to 20% to
ensure future changes to technology can be accommodated.
Deferred Submittals -Low Voltage (Information Technologies/Information Services)
Design
As with the Clinical Equipment issues addressed in Best Practices 13A Clinical
Equipment, low voltage design requires special attention. These systems are complex,
unique and rapidly changing and require a designer with the necessary specialized
knowledge and experience. The owner should require that the architectural and
engineering team include a low voltage design engineer. Or the owner can assign a low
voltage design professional that knows the facility and can make decisions for the owner.
The design team should work in collaboration with the hospital’s Information Technology /
Information Services (IT/IS) staff to develop the basis of design (systems, capacities,
technology, HVAC requirements, future growth, etc.) and to review the construction
drawings as they progress. One of the first issues that should be resolved is the project’s
responsibilities verses IT/IS’s responsibilities. Many IT/IS departments have a select
number of low voltage contractors that they have confidence in and with which they work
on a regular basis. This may work satisfactory for small IT/IS projects but could be a
significant issue for large project.
(OSHPD Best Practices) Page 99 DRAFT FINAL, Sept. 2011