Known for its innovative approach to mental healthcare, the University of Kansas Health, Strawberry Hill Behavioral Health Hospital is a beacon for mental health services and resources for an underserved area of Kansas City, Kansas. Once the headquarters for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the 105,000 SF building was transformed into a 48-bed inpatient hospital and opened in the fall of 2019.
Within the hospital, approximately 5,500 SF of laboratory and cleanroom space were recently selected for renovation. The space needed an upgrade of the equipment to maintain room pressurization and temperature control for the cleanroom spaces. To accomplish this, the team of Jorban-Riscoe and Antec Controls provided VFX air valves on both the supply and exhaust for the space, along with integral electric reheat coils on the supply air valves. To maintain pressurization, the supply and exhaust valves for the space modulate in as a tracking pair to maintain a set airflow offset to keep the pressure within the code requirements. To make sure these requirements are being met and to alert facility staff of the room operation, Antec Controls also provided LUME20 pressure monitors that display the room pressure relationship, temperature, and relative humidity for these spaces.
Jorban-Riscoe also worked closely with Price Industries and U.S. Engineering to install Active Chilled Beams throughout the laboratory space to provide a high cooling and heating output by conditioning the room air induced through the beams’ hydronic coil while simultaneously supplying fresh, conditioned air to the occupied area. The chilled beams provide cooling to the space using only about one-third of the primary air from the AHU’s compared to traditional designs. No changes to operating pressures or temperatures were required. Because the net air supplied to the space could be reduced, the project avoided the need for a new make-up air unit and larger exhaust fans, saving $550,000 in upfront costs.
Modeled energy savings from baseline system:
- 350 MWh/hr (190 kBTU/SF)
- $40k/yr (>$6.1/SF/hr)
A Greenheck Vektor High Plume Laboratory Exhaust Fan was also installed for ventilation and the removal of hazardous fumes, vapors, and gases from the lab area. The fans are a crucial part of fume hood systems, which are essential for safely handling dangerous chemicals and maintaining a safe working environment for employees working in the spaces.