Hospitals


Safe and secure rooftop upgrade


Sam Birch, product manager at Big Foot Systems explains how to overcome potential installation problems when it comes to upgrading rooftop plant


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ith tightened budgets and rising energy bills healthcare organisations are increasingly upgrading roof-based AC plant in a bid to


lower running costs of their buildings. These organisations have a tall order to meet when it comes to balancing the books at the moment. Both public and private healthcare organisations are facing soaring energy costs adding to essential bills, and the NHS has found its budgets cut, meaning any energy savings that can be made are more important than ever. But energy costs are not the only challenge. Healthcare organisations are also charged with cutting carbon emissions to help meet the UK carbon targets and so it’s vital that the energy efficiency of all their building stock is reviewed and upgraded where necessary. Hospitals are a major area for significant energy savings to be made, with over 50 per cent of energy used for heating, ventilation and cooling. When it comes to energy savings, making a cooling system as efficient as possible is a key way to reduce building operating costs. Therefore, many healthcare organisations are now considering upgrading their chillers and cooling plant as a cost effective measure to cut both a building’s fuel costs and carbon emissions in one fell swoop. However, this is not a project that can be taken on lightly. Healthcare organisations should consider carefully any refurbishment of rooftop plant to avoid costly problems. For healthcare organisations with tight budgets,


cost is a priority when comes to refurbishment projects. Meanwhile, time is often of the essence to ensure it is ‘business as usual’ at hospitals and other healthcare buildings. However, traditionally when upgrading cooling equipment on flat roofs contractors often craned in steel RSJs or cast traditional concrete plinths as supports for mounting heavy plant on roofs. Over the years, it has become apparent that these solutions are both costly and time consuming, with concrete plinths requiring casting early in construction to ensure sufficient curing time before plant can be mounted. In addition, once the concrete plinths are cast they provide little or indeed no flexibility should the specification of the plant change or require re-siting at a later date. Other factors that healthcare organisations need


to consider today when upgrading cooling plant include assessing the roof construction where the equipment will be installed before starting the


 May 2017 Cromer Hospital Sam Birch of Big Foot Systems


refurbishment. Nowadays lighter roof construction means greater care has to be taken regarding the weight of plant on roofs and the correct load dispersal. Healthcare organisations need an accurate understanding of an existing roof structure to ensure it can take the weight of the plant and support system. Meanwhile, using traditional penetrative support systems on flat roofs may also compromise roof integrity causing thermal bridging, possible leaks, or potentially affecting roof warranty requirements – all increasing risks and potential costs for healthcare organisations. So since traditional installation methods have a number of drawbacks for healthcare organisations when retrofitting cooling and/or heating equipment on flat roofs, clearly a cost effective, less intrusive, easy to install support alternative is required.


Solution


So what is the answer? Faced with the problems of mounting chillers and plant on flat roofs, manufacturers have set out to provide an economical alternative. A solution to these installation headaches for healthcare organisations is to use non- penetrative, repeatable support structures mounted on anti-vibration mats. These structures are configurable in that they can be adjusted according to the demands of each individual project, therefore offering great flexibility and time savings. Ideal for both new build installations and


ig Foot Systems supplied support solutions for rooftop plant at the Cromer and District Hospital in Norfolk as part of a £14.9 million redevelopment project to replace the original hospital on Mill Road. Run by the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the new dynamic two- storey building was built by main contractor Mansell Construction, designed by Purcell Miler Triton & Partners, with building services installed by M&E contractor Eyre Building Services. Providing accommodation for 14 departments, the new hospital building required a significant number of air handling units and services on its flat roof. However, the lightweight roof build-up of single ply membrane on top of insulation meant any roof-mounted plant needed to be supported on a robust non-penetrative frame. This was necessary to avoid any damage to the roof membrane and to rule out the possibility of future leaks, as well as ensuring that the plant was not too heavy for the roof. Eyre Building Services therefore turned to


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Big Foot Systems to provide a solution. Big Foot visited the site to assess the installation, and working with Eyre Building Services, designed all the frameworks for the plant in 3D CAD and issued drawings for approval before the frames were manufactured. This enabled the client to visualise the project and make any necessary amendments before manufacture. Richard Fryer, project director at Eyre Building Services explains: “The project at Cromer Hospital went exceptionally well, we had very good service from Big Foot Systems which made the installation hassle free. The project involved installing external mechanical and electrical services on a Sarnifil roof. We were required to install 11 air handling units, four extract fans and nine condensing units together with pipework and electrical services.”


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