From independent power supplies and water management to fire safety and air purity controls, hospitals require absolutely dependable systems. Thanks to building automation systems from Siemens, Dell Children's Medical Center of central Texas is not only exceptionally efficient, but has also become the world's first LEED Platinum Hospital.
Pediatric patients get first-class treatment at Dell Children's Medical Center in Austin, Texas. The facility is a leader in energy and water efficiency.Barcelona's Partner of Choice
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Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas is the first healthcare facility in the world to achieve a LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Platinum Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. With over 46,000 m², the facility, which is located in Austin, Texas, is the largest pediatric hospital in the region. Dell's campus opened in July 2007 and is part of the Seton Family of Hospitals, the largest health-care provider in central Texas.
Hospitals are tremendous energy users. In fact, according to statistics furnished by the U.S. Department of Energy in 2009, hospitals in the U.S. required 2.5 times as much energy and emitted 2.5 times as much carbon dioxide as commercial office buildings.
This makes the LEED achievement all the more significant, says Phil Risner, PE (Professional Engineer) and LEED AP (Accredited Professional) project manager and building systems network engineer for Seton. “We had a vision for LEED Platinum, as we sought to create the optimum environment for our patients as well as our employees. There was no doubt in our minds that being green had real, positive effects on both the environment and our healthcare delivery capability,” Risner said.
Alan Bell, AIA (American Institute of Architects) and Seton's LEED AP director of Design & Construction, echoed that sentiment. “Some parts of this 169-bed facility were opened in mid-2007. Then nearly two years later, we received the official LEED Platinum Certification in early 2009. To achieve this goal, we were rated in the six key LEED categories: Sustainable Site Development, Water Efficiency, Energy & Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, Indoor Air Quality, and Innovation & Design.” Here a key issue was the conception, integration, and implementation of the building automation system (BAS).
Complete Solution. Seton selected the Building Technologies Division of Siemens Industry, Inc. to install and integrate Siemens' APOGEE suite of building automation and controls across the new facility. APOGEE is an overall building system and energy management solution that includes fire detection and alarm and emergency air handling system control. It is designed to tightly integrate systems as diverse as security access, staff communications, emergency power, fire detection and suppression, IT and, of course, lighting. In the Dell clinic BAS monitors a range of energy consumers, including pumps, fans, cooling systems, hot-water systems and the 60,000 liter therapy pool of the clinic's rehabilitation center.
Austin's subtropical weather conditions pose a constant challenge to maintaining indoor air quality. In view of this, Siemens BAS closely monitors and controls Dell's air conditioning and use of outside air, as well as adjusting air-handling devices based on predetermined night setback and other occupancy conditions. The system automatically generates daily reports on any failed setpoints or specific location abnormalities throughout the facility, thus helping service engineers to keep systems running optimally while meeting regulatory requirements for air purity and quality.
BAS also controls the building's own highly efficient 4.5 MW cogeneration unit and provides the information needed to make complex energy-related decisions. As a result, significant energy savings have already been made. “Thanks to Siemens' expertise, it has been possible to introduce a range of new technologies,” says Bell. For comparison, the energy efficiencies achieved at Dell Children's currently save enough energy to power approximately 1,800 Austin homes.
Right Environment for Personnel. “Unfortunately, there are a lot of times that you can't necessarily cure an illness, but you can always heal the soul and that's what we try to do,” says Sister Teresa George, Dell Children's Vice President and CEO. “We try to do it with staff; we try to do it with our programs and our work environment.“
Dell's good reputation as a “green” hospital attracts highly motivated and well-trained personnel—including specialized pediatricians and nurses. Personnel fluctuation is very low. Overall in the U.S. between ten and 15 % of healthcare employees change per year. But the figure for Dell's nurses is just 2.4 %. Employee productivity is also higher. Seton estimates that all these effects together have resulted in savings equivalent to an entire year's energy bill.