Building Services Engineering


‘While Steven A Hunt & Associates has made every effort to ensure that the safety and security features within the building services specification are as low key as possible, staff safety is a high priority’


and have designed a services installation that follows these guidelines while considering the needs of patients and staff.


An aerial 3D ‘visual’ of the new facility on the Countess of Chester Health Park. Ancora House will provide 30 beds split into two wards of 12 and 14 beds, and a four-bed PICU.


The use of LED lighting will not only reduce


running and maintenance costs for the Trust, but will also provide a light quality much closer to natural daylight within the building. In an environment where patients may have limited access to the outdoors, and irregular sleep patterns, this can help to enhance comfort.


SAFE AND SECURE The close attention to detail in designing a lighting installation that prevents self-harm or harm to others is reflected across many elements of the mechanical and electrical installation designed by us for the CAMHS unit in Chester. In addition to the controls located within each patient room’s service cupboard to individualise comfort levels, each service cupboard also includes an emergency isolation function to enable instant power switch-off in the event of an emergency. Every effort has been made to anticipate


ways in which the services installation could be used to cause harm, and we have designed those risks out of the installation. However, we also needed to ensure that staff can respond quickly to protect patients from electrical current in the event of an emergency, which is why the isolation switch has been designed in. Other safety features designed into patient rooms by Steven A Hunt & Associates include sensors to detect any additional pressure exerted on the doors to each patient room. If the sensor detects a level of pressure that could indicate self-harm, an alarm will sound to alert staff.


A ‘DISCRETE’ DESIGN Many safety features have been specified into the fabric of the building, so elements like the door pressure alarm system are a last defence. It is also important that we design features like this to be discrete, since the ethos of the unit will be very much that of support and nurturing, and it is important that rooms are as homely as possible. While Steven A Hunt & Associates has made every effort to ensure that the safety and security features within the building services specification are as low key as possible, staff safety is a high priority. The specification includes a CCTV system


linked to the BMS throughout the facility, along with a nurse call system that incorporates staff


attack/panic alarms, which members of staff will carry with them. If the alarm is raised, the system will identify and locate the member of staff so that help can be on its way quickly.


AIR LOCKING SYSTEM In some areas of the facility, an air locking system has also been incorporated into the specification to ensure that patients cannot access ‘staff only’ areas, or leave the premises without authorisation. This system is designed to prevent a member of staff from entering a secure area until the door behind them has locked. Throughout the facility, we have specified a


SALTO access control system. We have worked on a number of mental health facilities before, including Ashworth Hospital, a high security mental health hospital. As a result, we understand the HTM (Health Technical Memorandum) requirements of a Tier 4 unit,


Steven Hunt


Having begun his career as a building services engineering apprentice with a mechanical and electrical contractor, Steven Hunt says he ‘soon became frustrated that the building services designs often failed to make best use of available space in the building, leading to awkward and inefficient installations’. In 1989 he thus established his own building services practice, Steven A Hunt & Associates. He grew the business by identifying projects through the


planning applications at his local council, and targeting the developer or architect for the building services design contract. As the company grew, he brought on more members of the professional team, and invested in the skills base within the business by training apprentices. He has now grown the business to a team of 20, with a turnover of just under £1 m. As a former chair and the current secretary of CIBSE (Merseyside and North Wales), he has


a high profile in the sector across the region. Director of Summit Skills, the building services training organisation established by the Sector Skills Council, he is also director of the National Skills Academy for Environmental Technology, which aims to ensure that renewables installers have the requisite skill level to maximise the value of renewables technologies. He is also involved with two other committees that aim to engage with businesses in the sector to provide work experience opportunities for young people, and works closely with local schools and colleges to highlight career opportunities in the building services industry. His work in this regard prompted an invitation to him to speak to a reception of MPs, universities, and private companies, at the Houses of Parliament.


THE NE TWORK J u l y 2016 23


ENERGY SAVINGS Our experience in mental healthcare environments is not the only credential the company has brought to the scheme; our track record in carbon reduction is also evident from the concept design for the CAMHS unit in Chester. While current Building Regulations targets for hospital environments expect an


average of 33.2 kg of CO2 per m2 per annum, we calculate that the services installation designed for the new facility will result in


24.5 kg of CO2 per m2 per annum; a carbon saving of 27.5%. Energy efficiency is notoriously difficult to


build into healthcare facilities – due to the amount of users, and the energy load required for 24/7 operation. However, operational costs and efficiency were a clear priority for the delivery partners in this scheme and, by using a combination of energy sources and low energy elements, we have been able to combine specialist provision with genuine energy savings. Our role now is to ensure that those objectives continue to be deliverable as the project moves from design to construction. •


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