RWJUH Core Expansion Project

Project Type: Healthcare

Location: New Brunswick, NJ

Services: MEP Engineering

Size: 24,000 SF

Highland Associates has enjoyed a long standing working relationship with Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) providing design services on a wide range of projects since 2003. The Core Expansion Project consists of a vertical expansion to the existing Core Pavilion Building

The Core Pavilion vertical expansion is approximately 24,000 sq. ft. consisting of: twenty four (24) Cardiac ICU rooms with two (2) protective environment rooms, two (2) isolation rooms and one (1) protective environment isolation room, nurse stations, soiled, clean, meds, waiting, lounge and general support. The vertical expansion is constructed above the roof of the existing building; this creates an interstitial space between the roof of the existing building and the floor of the new floor. This interstitial space is used to transfer all of the existing roof equipment and vents to the new chases in the new floor. The existing elevators and stairs extend up to the new floor. One new elevator is driven down through the existing building.

This project had a goal of understanding and minimizing infection. We worked hand and hand with the infection control team from the hospital to develop systems that would combat known sources of infection. All of the rooms were designed to have positive pressure, the central air handling system was designed to deliver HEPA filtered 100% outside air. The entire floor is exhausted, the exhaust air from the floor, excluding the isolation rooms, is routed back to the central air handler to pass through a heat recovery system that pre-treats the supply air. This greatly reduces the energy use normally associated with a 100% outside air system.