Construction of this new $1 billion, 1.7-million-square-foot U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs medical center started in New Orleans in 2012.
The facility will replace the VA hospital flooded by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The campus will house 120 inpatient beds and 60 transitional care beds for patients involved in rehabilitation, hospice and palliative care and mental illness research. Another 20 beds will support acute-psychiatric care. The facility will house 23 treatment and exam rooms and eight operating rooms. Located on a 30-acre site, the medical center is planned to serve more than 70,000 veterans and accommodate 500,000 outpatient visits annually.
The new medical center was designed “upside-down.” Functions typically found in the basement of major facilities, such as the kitchen, IT server room and primary utility distribution, will be located on the fourth level. All mission-critical services, such as the emergency room, are located at least 20 feet above base flood elevation. The facility has extensive MEP design features to allow it to operate in an emergency mode for an extended period of time.
E Cube is currently providing fundamental and enhanced LEED commissioning services toward a LEED Silver Certification. This includes commissioning of the Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration (HVAC&R) systems, Building Automation System, Lighting and Daylighting controls, EM Electrical Distribution (ATS), Medical gas, Medical Vacuum, Fire Protection, Fire Alarm, Domestic Hot Water, Electrical SCADA system, and Vertical Transportation