A different approach to the central utility plant
It may not be sexy to anyone but engineers, but the central utility plant is a vital component of any hospital facility. A significant first cost and a driver of long-term operational costs for most hospitals, typically, the CUP is housed in a separate building designed as part of a new healthcare project.
As a lead design engineer, I have utilized Modular Central Utility Plants (MCUPs) in two recent healthcare projects for Banner Ironwood Medical Center and Highland Community Replacement Hospital. In both projects, the utilization of the MCUPs led to innovations in project delivery and dramatic reductions in first costs for new healthcare construction. Furthermore, in both cases, the MCUP was designed to contain chillers, cooling towers, boilers, water treatment systems, pumps, heat exchangers, pressure reducing stations, VFDs, offices and toilets.