Mohawk Valley Health System Hospital, Utica, New York
OAA assisted the A/E team with significant acoustical analyses for this 9-floor hospital. The facility comprises more than 650,000 ft2 of patient care spaces in addition to a Central Equipment Plant (CEP). This consultation involved consideration of room acoustics within patient rooms, control of exterior noise to the interior via the building’s exterior wall and windows, interior sound isolation between spaces via partitions and floor/ceilings, control of HVAC system noise to the interior, and control of hospital and CEP exterior equipment noise to the nearby community. Numerous exterior noise sources included fifteen rooftop air handling units, twenty-four exhaust fans, five water-cooled chillers with associated pumps, four cooling towers, and three 2.5 MW emergency generators. Criteria for noise control design included the Facilities Guidelines Institute (FGI) Guidelines for Design and Construction of Hospitals as well as local noise codes for exterior sound.
Cooke Tower Renovation, Mid-Hudson Regional Hospital, Poughkeepsie, New York
OAA assisted the A/E team with noise control within hospital spaces and to the nearby community. Noise sources included a new 1,000 kW emergency generator and three large rooftop air handlers. Criteria for noise control design included local noise codes for exterior sound, as well as the Facilities Guidelines Institute (FGI) Guidelines for Design and Construction of Hospitals and Outpatient Facilities.
ICU Tower, McLeod Medical Center, Florence, South Carolina
The new nine-story ICU Tower rises over an existing structure at the center of the McLeod Medical Center. OAA’s acoustical consultations included the base building as well as the tower fit-out. Base building issues include a major mechanical room at the third-floor level below an ICU patient floor, multiple 1,500 kW emergency generators near existing and future patient rooms, and HVAC system noise control. ICU fit-out issues include patient room sound isolation and HVAC noise control to meet LEED for Healthcare acoustical criteria.
South Beach Psychiatric Center, Staten Island, New York
OAA was asked to carry out extensive sound isolation testing within this under-construction medical facility. Measurements were made in accordance with ASTM E336 Standard Test Method for Measurement of Airborne Sound Attenuation between Rooms in Buildings, ASTM E2235 Standard Test Method for Determination of Decay Rates for Use in Sound Insulation Test Methods. After the measurements were complete, Apparent STC ratings were calculated in accordance with ASTM E413 Classification for Rating Sound Insulation.
New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York, New York
Department of Surgery—This interior expansion and renovation involves 44,000 ft2 in the 68th Street Campus of New York Presbyterian Hospital. A wide range of spaces, including a surgical simulation suite, required careful acoustical attention. Issues included room acoustics for hearing and comfort, selection of sound isolating constructions to control intrusion, and HVAC noise control. A sound masking system was specified and tuned by Ostergaard Acoustical Associates to meet HIPAA speech privacy requirements and reduce the cost of partitions.
Iris Cantor Men’s Health Center—This fit-out includes design of sound isolating constructions, specification of a masking sound system to assure privacy between exam rooms, and HVAC noise control.
Skills Acquisition and Innovation Laboratory—This new training facility for the Department of Surgery includes state-of-the-art teaching environments with simulated surgery.
North Jersey Orthopaedic Specialists, Teaneck, New Jersey (MRI)
OAA conducted vibration analysis of a site adjacent to a rail line to determine suitability of MRI installation. Vertical and horizontal acoustical isolation details were specified for the magnet room.
Crescent Associates, White Plains, New York (MRI)
Property management received complaints from tenants adjacent to a newly installed MRI in an existing building. OAA analyzed noise paths and developed retrofit measures to mitigate complaints.
Montclair Breast Center, Montclair, New Jersey (MRI)
The client expanded this facility by excavating beneath the building for installation of an MRI Suite. The MRI was located beneath patient examinations rooms and offices and adjacent to a surgery suite, requiring extensive noise and vibration control to assure inaudibility of scans in adjacent spaces.
ADDITIONAL HEALTHCARE PROJECTS
- Energy Center, Tampa General Hospital, Tampa, Florida
- Eye Surgery Suite, Kettering Medical Center, Kettering, Ohio
- Matheny School and Hospital, Peapack, New Jersey
- Chilton Medical Center, Pompton Plains, New Jersey
- Morristown Memorial Hospital, Morristown, New Jersey
- Portsmouth Naval Hospital, Portsmouth, Virginia