Low-Profile Ultrasuite Provides a Customized Ceiling Solution
Since its opening in 1988, Chinook Regional Hospital in Lethbridge, AB, has provided high-quality patient-centered care for the residents of southwestern Alberta. It offers a full range of healthcare services for the region, including a 24/7 emergency department, intensive care unit and extensive outpatient services. According to Alberta Health Services, more than 10,800 surgeries are performed at the hospital every year.
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| Chinook Regional Hospital in Lethbridge provides high-quality care for the growing community of southwestern Alberta |
This project involved the renovation of two of the hospital’s operating rooms. In addition to the typical hurdles that come with operating room construction projects, such as the need to minimize downtime, the primary challenge was the limited ceiling space available to accommodate both the necessary ductwork and equipment. The ductwork also had to pass through an interstitial space above the ceiling, which created additional constraints. And on top of all this, accessing the electrical junction boxes on top of any device installed in the ceiling would be difficult due to these space limitations.
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| The star of this project was the Ultrasuite, Price’s operating room laminar flow diffuser array with integrated LED lighting |
To address these challenges, E.H. Price Solutions Calgary and the rest of the project team selected a low-profile Ultrasuite: Price’s operating room laminar flow diffuser array with integrated LED lighting. In addition to complying with all the ventilation requirements laid out in ASHRAE Standard 170, Ventilation of Health Care Facilities, this operating room ceiling system is fully customizable to meet the demanding constraints of ceiling layouts that can easily become crowded with surgical equipment.
Having a height of just 12 in. and a top-inlet configuration allowed the Ultrasuite units to integrate seamlessly within the tight ceiling plenum while maintaining optimal airflow performance. Additionally, the junction boxes were relocated to the perimeter of the Ultrasuite, ensuring easy maintenance access without compromising the efficiency of the ceiling space.
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| With a height of 12 in. and a top-inlet configuration, the Ultrasuite units integrated seamlessly within the tight ceiling plenum |
As an integrated operating room ceiling solution, the Ultrasuite is designed for easy installation – right down to the fact that it ships in large, factory-assembled sections to minimize installation time.
“It was neat to install,” said HVAC Operations Supervisor Neil Bechtold of Borne Industries, the contractor for this project. “It was especially handy having it all as one unit, and the finished product looks great.”
The customized Ultrasuite solution provided a space-efficient and serviceable installation, ensuring that the renovated operating rooms met both airflow performance and accessibility requirements within the restrictive ceiling environment.
And most importantly, with its modernized operating rooms up and running, Chinook Regional Hospital has been able to continue to serve the growing community of Lethbridge and the surrounding area with first-class care.
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Erica Forbes is a Marketing Account Manager for the Price team. She is based out of Price's headquarters in Winnipeg, MB. Click here to connect with her on LinkedIn. |
