Ventura County Medical Center Upgrades Seismic Safety Standards: Part 2

Last week, HealthCare Construction + Operations News published Part 1 of this two-part article. While covering the need for seismic safety in hospitals during Part 1, the design and construction team made the necessary updates possible at Ventura County Medical Center (VCMC) in Ventura, Calif. The $300 million hospital is slated for completion in 2017.

Planned to achieve LEED for Healthcare Silver certification, the hospital will feature green roofs, a healing and viewing garden, skylights, exterior canopies and screens, LED lighting and a pediatrics play area that will enhance the facility’s healing environment. Another green-oriented feature includes a chilled-water system, which is projected to reduce the amount of water needed in the hospital’s sterile processing area by roughly 90 percent, as the water it produces will be able to more efficiently cool the machines used to clean and sterilize equipment. The new medical center wing will feature a steel frame with an exterior consisting mainly of precast concrete panels and glass. The glass exterior is intended to maximize daylight harvesting, which will contribute to its green certification.

Seismic Upgrades

Due to the liquefiable soils at the site, the foundation system consisted of Auger Pressure Grouted (APG) piles that extend below concrete reinforced pile caps. The APG piles are approximately 120 feet long, with 60 feet extended into the competent soil layers. The APG piles were designed to accommodate down-drag forces caused by up to 20 inches of seismically induced settlement of the upper soil layers. The pile caps were interconnected by a two-way concrete flat slab and beam system. The retaining walls from the ground level to the first floor are approximately 18 inches thick.

Gravity Framing

The gravity framing consisted of 3-inch by 20-gauge metal deck plus 3.25-inch lightweight concrete fill floor system spanning approximately 10 feet to the structural steel wide flange beam and girders. The typically bay size is approximately 29 feet by 29 feet. The floor system used for the mechanical equipment yard on the roof of the three-story portion of the building consists of a 3-inch by 18-gauge metal deck plus 4.25-inch normal-weight concrete fill. The floor system at the first level consists of a 3-inch by 18-gauge metal deck plus 6-inch normal-weight concrete fill. Typical gravity columns are 14-inch-wide flange shapes. The ground floor consists of 10- to 12-inch reinforced concrete two-way, flat-slab-and-beam system that spans to pile caps. This system is used to mitigate the potential loss of soilbearing due to the liquefiable soil layers that are present in the upper 60 to 70 feet of soil.

Lateral-Force Resisting System

This system consists of Special Moment Resisting Frames (SMRF) in both of the principle directions of the building. The SMRF system was implemented to provide flexibility and accommodate interior and exterior architectural programming and planning. The typical steel SMRF assembly consists of 30- to 36-inch-deep columns and 33- to 36-inch-deep beams. The moment-frame connection that was used for this project was the SidePlate “Frame” connection that underwent full-scale testing and exceeded OSHPD approval standards for fully restrained moment connections.

Conclusion

VCMC is the designated Level II Trauma Center for the west county and is known for its extraordinary trauma team, which includes skilled and talented surgeons covering neurosurgery, orthopedic and general surgery cases. Additionally, the award-winning neonatal intensive care unit and pediatric unit are unique to a county this size; VCMC boasts the only pediatric hospitalist in the county as well as having the county’s first and only Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). VCMC is also the only Ventura County academic teaching hospital with a residency affiliated with UCLA School of Medicine.

The new construction will connect to existing buildings and unify them through a network of inviting indoor-outdoor rooms, plazas and gardens, making a true healthcare campus. The seismic upgrades and well-thought out design will greatly enhance this facility and the level of care provided.

HOK is the project architect. Additional project partners include KPFF Consulting Engineers, Los Angeles, structural engineer; ME Engineers, Culver City, Calif., MEP engineer; RBF Consulting, Los Angeles, civil engineer; and Treadwell & Rollo, San Francisco, geotechnical engineer.

Jack Reddehase, DBIA, CHC, LEED AP is vice president Clark Construction Group – California LP and may be reached at 415-716-7549 or jack.reddehase@clarkconstruction.com. Clark Construction Group is a leading provider of general building and civil construction services.