Adopting fuel cell power for hospital has been a common trend. These developments can be attributed to the benefits that this power source comes with. These include the efficiency and reliability of the power system compared to generators. Health facilities require a continuous power supply because a shortage will not only cause property damages and losses but may also lead to loss of lives within the facility. Another advantage is that it is environmentally friendly. In the development of such a power system, there is a need for effective planning designing and construction where consultation and team coordination is critical. The paper is an assessment of the construction process of healthcare facilities, the specialization needed in the process, the difference between hospital construction and other structures, especially when using power cells compared to traditional electric supply, and lastly the functional team that is formed in the process.
Hospital Design and Resources needed
The design of a healthcare facility is just like any other structure. This therefore, there is a need for the services of architects, mechanical, electrical and civil engineers. More to this is that there is a need for effective management because the work is comprised of many players, and therefore there is a need for a leader to lead the team (De Melo, Do, Tillmanm, Ballard & Granja, 2016). The architecture is the first resource in the design process that aids in the development of a concept of the facility. The civil engineer is responsible for the structural evolution of the facility. The last part is the installation, which is the task of mechanical and electrical engineers.
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Additional Talent and Specialization
In the current technological developments in the provision of healthcare, technology-related devices and equipment have been a critical part of functionality of healthcare facilities. The work of the electrical and mechanical engineers will not be complete without input from a biomedical engineer who will aid in guiding how the installation of machines and devices will be managed effectively (Ahmed, 2018).
The Difference in the Engineering Process
In as much as hospitals and other structures are similar in times of designing and constructions, hospitals are more critical because most of the occupants are patients that need support with walking and other physical activities (Merschbrock & Munkvold, 2015). One of the differences is on the interior completion, and there is a need for a smooth flow of activities so as moving from one point to another. This is because time is significant. More to this is that the design should consider materials that are considerate of the possible effect of allergy that may have to patients. Selection of materials is therefore a very complex part of the engineering process.
Difference between a Fuel Power Sources and Electrical Powered Facility
There are two significant differences in terms of priorities between a hospital that uses hydroelectric power and that which uses fuel cells. One is in the design space. For electrical powered facilities, the design should consider the location of the backup generator, which in most cases is located on the roof of the facility (Isa, Das, Tan, Yatim & Lau, 2016). For a fuel cell-dependent hospital, the spacing design should consider the cell reactor room, which should not be housed in the same facility for safety reasons.
Another priority is manpower. For a fuel cell-dependent hospital, there is a need to be a person with a team in charge of the fuel cell unit. For an electricity-dependent hospital there is no need to have a sophisticated team because electricity is taken directly from the main.
Functional Team Formed
In the process of designing for the hospital to have a fuel cell power source, a functional team should have all the three engineers and more to this, a health facility manager to be the team leader.
References
Ahmed, S. E. E. (2018). Design of Emergency and Trauma Hospital from a biomedical engineer perspective (Doctoral dissertation, Sudan University of Science and Technology).
De Melo, R. S. S., Do, D., Tillmann, P., Ballard, G., & Granja, A. D. (2016). Target value design in the public sector: evidence from a hospital project in San Francisco, CA. Architectural Engineering and Design Management , 12 (2), 125-137.
Isa, N. M., Das, H. S., Tan, C. W., Yatim, A. H. M. & Lau, K. Y. (2016). A techno-economic assessment of a combined heat and power photovoltaic/fuel cell/battery energy system in Malaysia hospital. Energy , 112 , 75-90.
Merschbrock, C., & Munkvold, B. E. (2015). Effective digital collaboration in the construction industry–A case study of BIM deployment in a hospital construction project. Computers in Industry , 73 , 1-7.
