Modern Building Services

18 MODERN BUILDING SERVICES JUNE 2021 FEATURE VERTICAL FOCUS SCHOOLS AND HOSPITALS VERTICAL FOCUS S ome institutions have extended their working hours to meet demands, whilst many laboratory technicians have altered shift patterns to facilitate social- distancing. As a result, today’s hospital laboratory facilities need to be more flexible than ever before, to enable scientists from different disciplines to work alongside one another safely, optimising usage of the available equipment. In addition, NHS Trusts are faced with significant increases in running costs relating to laboratories. This article looks at some of the key challenges facing hospital laboratories, and suggests approaches to the upgrading of air management systems to assist in tackling these issues. Well- designed ventilation systems are crucial to enable clinicians and laboratory technicians to work more effectively and productively without compromising health and safety. In addition, improving the efficiency of the air management systems can help NHS Trusts to regain control over spiralling energy costs of laboratories. Safety first Increasingly hospital sites are being designed with multiple functions, combining clinical work with medical research. Many sites are also university hospitals, involving aspects of teaching and learning. To enable these multiple operations to be carried out safely within a single building, the design of the air management scheme needs to accommodate multiple zones with different containment levels. This, in turn, determines the optimum supply and extraction strategy and identifies the appropriate filtration requirements. The Quadram Institute building at the Norwich Research Park, for example; needed an air management scheme which would enable multiple clinical and research operations to be accommodated within a single new build development. The Quadram Institute brings together the former Institute of Food Research, the University of East Anglia Clinical Research Facility and the gastrointestinal endoscopy unit of Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital to conduct translational research and clinical care. It houses around 300 researchers, as well as clinicians and support staff. In addition, as the largest unit of its type in Europe, it is designed to welcome up to 40,000 endoscopy outpatients each year. The building provides distinct accommodation for each department, as well as shared office space, meeting rooms and amenities to encourage interaction between all user groups. The Quadram Institute includes Containment Level 2 and 3 Laboratories, as well as being a major Clinical Trials facility and a centre of excellence for endoscopy. This necessitated an added requirement for control and repeatability of air management conditions, in addition to the wider requirements for energy efficiency. During the design phase, wind tunnel testing was carried out to determine safe fume efflux parameters for the scheme. The air terminal device requirements of different zones in the building were also analysed to determine the best possible designs of grilles and diffusers to maintain the optimum safe and comfortable working environment for researchers, staff and patients. To account for the specific research operations carried out in separate departments across the site, the building services professionals worked in collaboration with clinical experts to determine the most appropriate HEPA filter cells and diffusers for the different zones of the site. “With many hospitals now addressing longer waiting lists, pressure on laboratory facilities has never been so intense” says Ian Thomas , Product Manager – LabControls, at TROX UK Upgrading air management systems for hospital laboratories