Children's Medical Center

Legacy Campus
Plano, TX

In the next three years, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates there will be a 20% increase in the population of children in North Texas. Children's Medical Center is responding to the demand with the construction of a new Legacy Campus in Plano, TX. The new healthcare facility comprises part of an aggressive expansion campaign that Children's is pursuing well into 2010. The specialty hospital provides 72 beds and a wide range of specialized pediatric services.

The four story structure houses 287,000 square feet of space and includes a mechanical penthouse and crawl space for the majority of the underfloor plumbing and piping systems. The building has its own central utility plant with a 1,600 ton capacity supplied by two chillers. The plant also houses two variable flow cooling towers, two steam boilers, four hot water boilers, pumping stations, and a heat exchanger.

Piping systems in the hospital include chilled water, heating water, low and high pressure steam, steam condensate, cryogen relief systems, and refrigerant piping. About 27,500 man hours will be required to fabricate and install the over seven miles of piping for facility.

Over half a million pounds of sheetmetal will be shop-fabricated, delivered, and installed by Brandt to provide the complete air distribution system for the hospital. As space restrictions on the jobsite are numerous, Brandt will utilize just-in-time delivery methods to schedule and deliver large ductwork shipments to the project as they are needed for installation. As in all specialized healthcare facilities, preserving and maintaining the cleanliness of all ductwork and airside equipment is crucial to promote healthy and high-quality indoor air quality for pediatric patients and staff.

Close to 46,000 man hours will be consumed fabricating and installing all ductwork. The airside systems include twelve air-handling units, one dehumidification unit for specialized operating areas, about air terminal units, seventy fans and hoods, and nine custom air conditioning units. Medical and plumbing services for the patients include about 400 medical gas outlets and over 800 fixtures and drains. The project also includes a fuel oil system for generator backup. Around 42,000 man hours are required to install the plumbing systems per the current design.

One-fifth of the cost of the Children's Legacy Campus mechanical and plumbing project is made up of the construction of the central plant itself. Construction of the mechanical and plumbing systems will take approximately seventeen months. Brandt looks forward to continuing the tradition of helping Children's Medical Center continue to offer specialty healthcare facilities for the growing pediatric population of North Texas.