PTA provided mechanical, electrical and plumbing design services for the renovation of 48,000 square feet in the existing 1917 building. The project area covered the lower four floors in the existing seven-story building located at the north end of downtown Akron. The building will serve as the anchor for Akron’s Biomedical Corridor. The renovated spaces include a tiered auditorium, Bio-skills lab with a teaching station and seven operating tables, multi-bed simulation spaces for ICU, Triage, and Obstetric, and one OR. These simulation areas utilize wireless and wired simulation manikins. All simulation and training spaces are served by observation areas with full AV communication and monitoring. For additional information regarding the new Austen Center for Simulation and Integrated Healthcare Education (CSIHE).

The project design also includes a new central mechanical cooling and heating plant for the circa 1925 building. The new plants include complete replacement of the building’s chiller plant and cooling infrastructure, as well as installation of a new high efficiency hot water boiler plant to replace the city steam building heating infrastructure currently in use. A new custom, 50,000 CFM, central station air handling unit was designed to serve the renovated areas.

The project involves complicated scheduling and planning as the upper floors are to remain occupied during construction. Air conditioning, heating and power utilities must be continuously available for these occupied areas while the renovation and plant improvements are under construction.

This project is pursuing LEED Certification and our office will be performing the Commissioning of the installation. Commissioning will be extended to cover non-LEED MEP systems also. The project was designed using AutoDesk Revit 2011 for three-dimensional modeling. The project, designed in association with Hasenstab Architects, Inc., is under construction and scheduled for completion in early 2012. The project budget is approximately $10,000,000.