Lilker performs a medical miracle at Long Island I-Park.

When the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System wanted to expand with a new ambulatory surgical facility in Lake Success, N.Y., the organization knew it had to look beyond its existing hospitals, which were at capacity,--but not too far beyond.

The solution was found right across the street from one of the system's flagship hospitals, LIJ Medical Center. A large defense plant, built in the 1930s, the facility had been converted to office use and there was about 450,000 s/f available for North Shore-LIJ expansion.

The health system moved ahead with plans to create a Center for Advanced Medicine at I-Park, North Shore-LIJ's first ambulatory care facility outside the hospital envelope. The first phase of the project was a 28,000 s/f ambulatory surgery center. The mandate for the designer/ contractor: deliver a new, state-of-the-art facility for same-day surgery--four active operating rooms, plus two fitted ones for future surgical use, six pre-op rooms, five exam rooms, 18 recovery beds and a large waiting room area--with a lid on costs and as quickly as possible.

Lilker Associates Consulting Engineers--brought in by Swanke Hayden Connell Architects as the MEP consultant for this fast-track project--worked from inception with the design/build team to develop MEP systems that maximize efficiency and minimize costs.

The MEP challenge for North Shore-LIJ's 1-Park project was creating the new center within a structure that was not designed to accommodate the stringent HVAC, fire/safety and electrical requirements of today's medical facilities. Typical of plants built 70 years ago, the building features long roof areas designed to let in as much natural light as possible, with air filtering through as well. But it's a design that works against the antiseptic needs of a healthcare environment. Light and air are natural incubators for mold and they play havoc with climate control.

Lilker's solutions included:

Installing separation-barrier ceilings to isolate the light and air coming in from the roof, thus minimizing their impact on the space.

Utilizing a secondary ventilation system to maintain air exchanges in the ceiling cavity, in order to control overall temperature and humidity and address infection-control issues.

Employing an innovative design for a secondary return air path in each operating room to remove airborne particles, an approach that has been successfully used on the West coast but is new to Northeast.

Installing independent rooftop-mounted equipment zoned for individual space, rather than large chiller plants typical in hospitals, to increase efficiency and reduce costs.

Installing an exterior-mounted emergency generator to conserve interior space. The 350 kW diesel generator is weatherproof and has its own fuel supply.

The project met all of the hospital's expectations, including fast turnaround--four months from start to completion--operational efficiency and code adherence. And it was a perfect fit for Lilker: the firm is currently designing MEP systems for North Shore-LIJ's radiology center and is doing MEP master planning for the hospital.

"Lilker-designed MEP systems are powering hospitals and medical centers throughout the New York metropolitan area," said Serge Budzyn, P.E., principal and executive vice president with Lilker. "We've always had a group of professionals who specialize in healthcare work. They are experts in hospital codes, electrical specifications, HVAC, plumbing codes and patient safety and health-related issues and they are known for designing systems that maximize patient and physician comfort."