With WSP as the project’s building services consultant, the nine-level and two-wing hospital is also served with a basement and a lower ground level featuring tech-savvy scanning equipment and clinical laboratories.
Hong Kong is a place where speed impresses and the hospital, which was completed with the issuing of occupation permit in November 2016 and opened in March 2017, does not disappoint. “We started working on the project in May 2013 and the main contract for construction was awarded in November 2014, so the team had just spent around 1.5 years from design to award of main contract,” said Thomas Chan, Director, Building MEP, China Region. “For a typical healthcare facility project, the construction will usually take three to four years.”
According to Tsui Kwok-Fai, Technical Director, Building MEP, China Region, to fulfill the twin goals of facilitating access for day patients and maximizing installation’s headroom, computed tomography, positron emission tomography, linear accelerator, and other medical equipment are located in the basement and lower ground. In preparation for installing more high-tech equipment in the future, building services plant space has been reserved to avoid disrupting the hospital’s day to day operation, according to Kwok-Fai.
No contemporary building is complete without sustainable design features and Gleneagles Hong Kong Hospital features a green roof perched on its south wing to reduce energy usage and make the environment green. Similarly, domestic water is preheated by the water-to-water heat pump that uses returned chiller water to minimize energy. The heat pump also supplies space heating for the hospital for energy saving purposes. Since the hospital will operate on a 24 hour basis, in order to minimize the energy consumption, the space temperature of non-clinical areas is set back to 26oC at night to reduce the electricity consumption. Operating Theatre Suite, another noteworthy feature, is located on the second floor of the hospital. Unlike other OT setting common in Hong Kong, the hospital uses sterile core to serve up to seven OT rooms to achieve more efficient operation. Also, the pressure setting is carefully designed to meet the requirement of the Department of Health.
