Medcare Palace Hospital, Dubai
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Design and Supervision
Designing a great healthcare facility is like walking on a tightrope. There are many parameters to be considered from the point of view of each stakeholder- owner, operator, staff and end users. A number of international and local standards also need to be implemented.
Medcare is a premium healthcare network based in the UAE and operating in 9 nations. Medcare Palace is a line of state-of-the-art multispecialty hospitals providing the highest in personalized care- world-class medical technology and luxurious recuperation amenities. Our team designed the Medcare Palace Hospital on Sheikh Zayed Road with this reputation in mind.
The project comprises a G+2 facility with a built-up area of 132,500 sq. ft. catering 100 beds for women and children healthcare.
Challenges
The first challenge was to design the MEP services within the available infrastructure for the plot. Proper space allocation for MEP services wasn’t possible due to operational space requirements of a luxurious hospital having to be managed in a relatively small footprint.
The second was to implement an energy-efficient, cost-effective MEP design that also lived up to the brand of Medcare Palace Hospital as a premium healthcare service provider.
The third challenge was that the medical specialist was brought in at a later stage of the project. Coupled with the unavailability of operator’s project requirements in written form, it meant that ELV, IT, Security and ID requirements were not known during design development. Team Consistent had to proceed based off of their expertise in the healthcare MEP design area.
Accommodating Space Constraints
The substation, usually situated on the ground floor and accessible to DEWA maintenance vans, had to be accommodated in the basement. Making access difficult, this required an access hatch, and mechanical ventilation had to be provided as required by DEWA.
Similarly, the hospital wastewater containing acidic waste needed to be treated properly before disposal into the drainage system. Due to lack of space, the major plants for waste water and acid waste neutralization also had to be designed in a congested and small basement area.
Team Consistent designed and supervised these unusual designs, including getting special approvals from the local authorities at DEWA and Dubai Municipality.
Achieving Energy Efficiency
Energy-efficiency has always been a cornerstone of Consistent Engineering’s designs. With ASHRAE standards as the baseline, Team Consistent strove to go beyond the call of duty.
HVAC: Solutions such as demand control ventilation to regulate air flow of rooms as per occupant requirements; and Variable Frequency Drives to control energy consumption of motors, were used for energy conservation. Additionally, Operation Theatres were provided with recirculated air, making the system more efficient.
Lighting: LED light fixtures were implemented to meet the internal ambience of different areas based on the room function. Intelligent lighting controls contributed to the Smart MEP design.
Renewable Energy: Solar panels were installed for the generation of hot water.
An integrated Building Management System (BMS) was provided for overall control and monitoring, increasing energy-efficiency.
Designing for Operational Requirements
A well-designed system can make the difference between life and death, especially in healthcare. Hence, emergency power backup was provided for critical and life-safety services.
Most notably, the first under-water delivery system in the entire Gulf region was installed by Team Consistent for this hospital, making it a unique service provider in the healthcare sector.
Apart from this, isolation units, laboratories and critical areas were provided with dedicated ventilation as per operational requirements. Isolation power and clean earthing were arranged for medical equipment. FAHUs with heat recovery and variable speed were implemented.
Coordination and Supervision for Specialist Services
Team Consistent provided design coordination and supervision for specialist services provided by consultants, leading to an integrated design optimizing the comfort and luxury of patients.
A pneumatic tube system was implemented throughout the patient rooms, linking them to the pharmacy. This design ensures that whenever any medicine is required, the nurse can drop a request to the pharmacy via these tubes, which can send the required medicine dir