Increasingly, commercial spaces and offices are being renovated to serve as medical office buildings, outpatient clinics, wellness centers and other health care facilities, according to an article on the Healthcare Construction + Operations magazine website.
Architects and engineers are charged with coming up with the solutions to the challenges amid the structure while creating opportunities for more cost-effective operations and more efficient care.
According to the article, even basic medical buildings often use significantly more power, as well as heating, ventilation and cooling than a typical office building. The strength of the existing main electrical service and the distribution network should be carefully studied first for capacity.
Boston-based Margulies Perruzzi Architects recently renovated an 80,000-square-foot office building in Woburn, Mass., to accommodate doctors from Winchester Hospital outpatient departments and affiliated physician suites, the article said. Ensuring a healthy environment for patients and staff starts with air handling systems that meet ASHRAE standards for fresh air ventilation, filtration and exhaust.
Read the article.
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