LED lighting is the next big innovation step in reducing heat and energy use in a building and increasing the lighting as per the required comfort levels for the medical operations and patient comfort .
The water use was also identified as a longterm concern . A grey water system was installed in the basement of the hospital , supplying water to toilet cisterns . This water will be harvested from the CSSD autoclaves and wastewater from the Renal Dialysis Unit . Indigenous vegetation with low water use has also been planted around the site , which means less water usage , but with the benefits of soft landscaping which cools the surface around the building .
The air conditioning system is a VRF system that looks at innovative use of VRF technology to reduce operational and running cost . This was hotly debated and the mechanical engineers ran various scenarios and configurations to eventually narrow the selection down . Netcare ’ s internal engineering division have taken an evidencebased look at power use in their facilities and based the decision on what they have experienced in other hospitals in the group .
Safety Patient , visitor and staff safety is of utmost importance and special attention was given to the following :
Infection Control :
• Isolation rooms with ante rooms , negative pressure options and design that amplifies good infection control practices ;
• Private rooms in wards and other selected multi bedrooms are provided with negative pressure to enable separation and isolation for infection ;
• Physical separation between all ICU beds ;
• Hepa Filtration in ICU HVAC systems ;
• 4 x Laminar flow theatres .
Fire & Emergency Evacuation :
• Modern design & rational application with evacuation plans , compartmentalization , and horizontal and vertical evacuation plans ;
• Fully automated Fire detection , voice evacuation & Fire protection installations ;
• Fully sprinkled basement .
Security :
• Access control to all critical areas centrally controlled ;
• CCTV monitoring on all sensitive areas that are linked to a security hub ;
• Access control from the basement into the lift lobbies where its dedicated ;
• Biometric staff access at the security hub to reduce third party incursions ;
• Security hub located at the intersection of staff and goods being delivered into the service yard .
Helistop :
• The elevation of the helistop at the ED entrance and the landscaping to provide a safe and secure landing area without patient disruption ;
• This with the appropriate lighting and safety lighting on the helistop , buildings and surrounding buildings high points ;
• Consultation with consultants and pilots to ensure a safe landing environment .
74 Netcare Alberton