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The HVAC and control systems at Children's Hospital Oakland go far beyond providing comfort and energy management, they preserve delicate young lives.

Children's is the most comprehensive pediatric facility between Los Angeles and Seattle. Sought by those who need the finest specialized treatment, its doors are open to all children in the region.

Founded in 1912, the hospital comprises several buildings totaling 750,000 sq. ft., and includes 193 patient beds. In six of the rooms, HVAC systems are the primary means of protecting the lives of some of the region's most critically ill children.

Steve Perls, manager of facilities planning and construction, lives every day with the fact that his highly advanced HVAC and sophisticated control systems can make a significant difference in the quality of patient care.

The six positive-pressure isolation rooms for immunocompromised patients are relatively new. They were designed partly because the medical procedures doctors use to treat certain diseases have become so aggressive that the treatments themselves actually render the patient helpless to fight off anything that might be contagious. The rooms protect these children during their recovery period when even a common cold could cause a significant setback.

When the California State Department of Health Licensing Services, the hospital's licensing authority, requested Children's install these isolation rooms, Perls blended his acumen as a no-nonsense businessman with his deep commitment to critical health care needs. There was no escaping severe budget restraints, and no possibility of compromise.

To make the project happen, Perls turned to a team of professionals he had worked with over the years at Children's and prior to that at Kaiser Permanente, California's giant HMO. He called Sue Smith of ESS Architects, San Francisco; Ted Jacob of Ted Jacob Engineering, Oakland; Carol Light of Silverman and Light Electrical Engineers, Emoryville; Paul Tims of Scott Anderson Construction, Lafayette; and Jim Hussey of Marina Mechanical, Hayward, CA.

All were uniquely qualified. Sue Smith has a reputation for getting smaller jobs approved quickly by the Office of Statewide Health Planning & Development (OSHPD), the code enforcement agency. Her firm, as well as Ted Jacob's, are consultants to OSHPD, doing third-party plan review.

Paul Tims has established himself not just at Children's, but as a general contractor who bids work very carefully. A designer like Sue appreciates the fact that Paul uncovers unforeseen changes while bidding and requests they be incorporated in the bid documents

Jim Hussey of Marina Mechanical brought a thorough knowledge of the facility's HVAC systems that came from designing and installing the hospital's energy management control system (EMCS) and many of its mechanical systems. Carol Light had just designed a new fire alarm system for the hospital. Her keep-it-simple approach and knowledge of the environment made her the perfect choice for the electrical portion.

This was a proven team. They had worked together many times before and the relationships had long been ironed out. All were committed to helping Perls pass code requirements, meet his budget, and complete the project on time.

Easy-to-understand controls outside each room continuously monitor air volume and pressure differentials.

Architect Sue Smith characterizes the HVAC team this way: "Children's Hospital is a close community based on trust where a promise is a promise. Steve presented a very tight time. frame and budget, and asked us to find a way to do it. Everyone had a can do attitude. There were no weak links. Each person tried to help the other person get the job done."

Ted Jacob describes the project and its unique challenges: "Fitting in a complex HVAC system that far exceeds a building's original design is difficult. We had to consider maintenance, energy, functionality, and above all, patient safety. The final design called for an individually controlled system for each room. "Each room has its own variable speed booster fan to force the air through high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters and increase the air changes per hour to 15. If the main supply air fan fails or is shut down for maintenance, automatic dampers open to supply air from adjoining areas, the room's constant volume exhaust air boxes reduce exhaust air volume, and the booster fan and constant volume supply air boxes adjust to air volume to maintain positive room pressurization. "The engineering department remotely monitors the system through a complete, state-of-the-art electronic EMCS. If air pressure differentials or air exchange volumes go outside of code parameters, automatic alarms sound in the engineering office and the nurses' station."

Children's Manager of Engineering Skip Hart, says: "Each room is individually controlled, so maintenance of one room does not effect the others. The variable speed fans get more life out of the filters. I'm pleased with the quality of work on these rooms. Marina Mechanical understands my needs so well, I requested they be chosen to do this project." Jim Hussey, president of Marina Mechanical, sees his firm's knowledge of the building as a key to making the project go in so well. "These relationships are day-to-day and craftsman-to-craftsman. Our installers knew just what to expect and exactly what the maintenance concerns would be. Because we installed the building's temperature control system, we understood the manufacturer and made sure compatibility wouldn't be a problem."

Upon completion, the project satisfied state regulators, and resulted in a significant expansion of the hospital's range of services. The team accomplished a major step in fulfilling the hospital's need to care for the precious lives of immunocompromised children without compromise.

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