Page 15 - SFHN SEPTEMBER 2021

HEALTHCARE REAL ESTATE, CONSTRUCTION, DESIGN & FACILITY PLANNING

Building Hospitals That Help Reduce Hurricane Damage

BY DANIEL CASCIATO rated this effort to protect years to respond to this need." “When the power goes down, hospitals
the buildings through One of the new design/building trends have generators, but when the city utili-
Today, hospitals and impact windows and that is playing an important role in build- ties go down, how do you run a chiller
other healthcare facilities doors, structural grills and ing hurricane-resistant buildings is that plan when the city is no longer providing
in South Florida are being louvers and the protection they are being constructed at a higher water?” he says. “What’s the plan when
built to survive the of our infrastructure; gen- elevation to avoid any flooding issues. the city sewer plan stops for two or three
strongest hurricanes. erators; chiller plants and “In addition, all infrastructure is con- days?”
With the threat of hurri- oxygen tank farms.” structed well above flood criteria, so that Since more companies now want to
canes, along with the Building according to not only is the structure protected, all build with resilient design in mind, col-
accompanying winds, Florida code will allow systems that run the building are elevat- laboration with subcontractors and other
flooding, and systemic ero- hospitals to withstand ed; making them safe and secure as vendors, who may not have experience
sion, Charles Michelson, hurricane strength winds well,” adds Michelson. “Part of the site with resilient design, becomes even more
AIA ACHA LEED AP, of 185 miles per hour. considerations include the access to the important.
President of Saltz Charles Michelson While hurricanes are a hospital since a protected building that “Construction is a team activity,” says
Michelson Architects in common occurrence in the public can’t get to in an emergency Michelson. “When new systems are
Fort Lauderdale, FL, an architect of both South Florida, Michelson notes that won’t provide the necessary services it being designed and constructed, design-
new hospital projects and renovations, structural reinforcement is only one part was designed to provide the public.” ers, contractors, owners, vendors, and
stresses that the design community is of the protection formula for the protec- Following devastating hurricane dam- industry representatives work together to
always prepared to design and engineer tion of medical facilities. ages, there’s always talk of improving the analyze and respond to each unique situ-
the proper solutions in the right loca- “Protection includes the redundancy resiliency of facilities in an effort to pro- ation. No two medical facilities are alike
tions. of all systems; alternate sources of power tect them from increasingly damaging and as such, there are no cookie cutter
“We are trained professionals prepared before the generators kick on, as well as storms. In the wake of recent hurricanes, designs that take care of every unique
to respond to the need and protect the multiple forms of communication,” he this is an issue on the minds of just about condition. We remained informed and
medical facilities within our communi- says. “For existing buildings that fall everybody who lives in a hurricane- adaptable to create new and updated
ties,” he says. “There has been ongoing below new flood criteria, there are water- prone area such as South Florida. solutions to our environmental issues.”
work for years hardening existing med- proofing and opening protections that Michelson says that some of the les-
ical facilities to the essential service crite- can be added to a building and site to sons learned over time demonstrated the For more information, visit
ria outlined in the building code. Recent protect against flooding. Many new prod- importance of protecting ancillary sys- www.saltzmichelson.com.
FEMA money availability has reinvigo- ucts are on the market over the past few tems that allow the hospitals to function.

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South Florida Hospital News southfloridahospitalnews.com September 2021 15