THEATRE REDESIGN
Skirtless UCV canopy for complete theatre refit
Peter Bellis, managing director of Lancashire-based building services consulting engineers, A P Bellis & Associates, discusses the challenges of a complete refurbishment and refit of of one of the operating theatres at Westmorland General Hospital in Kendal in Cumbria.
Theatre 2 at Westmorland General Hospital is 30 years’ old, and was in need of a complete refurbishment. It is part of a twin theatre arrangement, with the two theatres sharing the same clean and dirty corridor areas and a common rooftop plantroom. Each theatre is served by its own input air-handling unit and extract fan system. The Theatre 2 suite had a sloping roof void area above, but safe access for maintenance was not really possible, the difficulties being compounded by the amount of existing ductwork running through the area. A temporary modular theatre was arranged in the grounds of the hospital to maintain surgical continuity while Theatre 2 was refurbished. Theatre 2 was also fitted with an MAT ultraclean ventilation (UCV) canopy. This was an original installation, and comprised a high-level skirt, and ceiling-mounted return air grilles around the external periphery of the canopy skirt, with a remote recirculation fan system situated within the plant room as part of the air- handling unit assembly. Large supply and extract ductwork fitted with silencers passed between the plant room AHU and
roof void canopy, and smaller duct branches serving the ‘prep’ room, anaesthetic room, and ‘clean’ and ‘dirty’ corridors.
A complete ‘strip-out’
The refurbishment involved a complete strip out of the Theatre 2 suite existing services, finishes, doors, and furniture etc., and comprehensive replacement with new systems and equipment. The initial M & E design concentrated on looking at how the new AHU and UCV arrangement would fit into the existing areas, while providing satisfactory operation and maintenance arrangements. My usual approach to this is to provide three air- handling unit manufacturers with the design requirements and available space to allow a satisfactory design to be carried out in the most cost-effective way for the Trust client.
A simple design solution for the UCV ‘‘ 42 Health Estate Journal October 2019
canopy is to install a self-contained type unit which is fully maintainable from the operating room below, and requires a minimum 600 mm space within the void above, although suitable space would still be required for connection of the fresh air system from the theatre AHU. Among the main drawbacks of such systems are that the recirculation fans are situated within the operating theatre, and that the canopy encroaches into the surgical area by over 200 mm. My view is that it is preferable for a suitable skirt to be fitted to aid and maintain a satisfactory airstream. Maintenance on the fans would require access into the operating theatre.
Replicating previous system’s benefits The existing sloping roof void area over Operating Theatre 2 presented an opportunity to explore the possibility of installing a UCV canopy which could be
The existing sloping roof void area over Operating Theatre 2 presented an opportunity to explore the possibility of installing a UCV canopy
Optional white lighting on the Interfurn Dual 2 flush-to-ceiling skirtless canopy with low level recirculation ductwork and grilles. Also featured are Merivaara Q6/Q4 lights from Bender, Bender Contempo surgical pendants, and a Bender surgeon’s panel. Right: The same Interfurn Dual 2 skirtless canopy with optional green lighting.
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