Case Study: Building Management System Installation at White Plains Hospital

Center For Advanced Medicine & Surgery

T.M. Bier & Associates recently completed a critical Building Management System (BMS) installation at White Plains Hospital’s Center for Advanced Medicine & Surgery (CAMS) building in New York. The hospital, in partnership with Turner Construction and AKF Engineering, opened the state-of-the-art CAMS building in 2021 as part of their ongoing campus transformation efforts. This project featured the integration of a Schneider Electric Ecostruxure BMS, designed to manage critical environmental controls and optimize hospital operations.

Project Objectives

The primary goal of the project was to implement a modern BMS that would handle the precise environmental requirements essential for patient safety and comfort. Specifically, the system was designed to:

• Maintain strict pressurization, temperature, and humidity controls in operating rooms.

• Ensure optimal operating conditions for MRI and CT equipment.

• Provide temperature and humidity control across all patient rooms, office spaces, and general areas within the nine-story building.

Implementation and Technology: The BMS installation involved a multi-stage process that spanned several phases from planning to completion. These stages included:

• Budgeting and Planning: A critical phase involving detailed project cost estimations and offsite fabrication of the building's mechanical penthouse, which housed critical equipment.

• Design and Installation: The system design included metering systems, Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs), active and passive chilled beams with 6-way valve configurations, air handling units (AHUs), boilers, and chilled water systems. Terminal units, such as VAVs (Variable Air Volume units) and FCUs (Fan Coil Units), were installed throughout the building, providing comprehensive coverage.

• Startup and Commissioning: This phase involved rigorous testing of the systems to ensure compliance with operational requirements, culminating in successful smoke purge sequence testing under stringent local standards.

Energy Efficiency and Operational Performance: The new BMS at White Plains Hospital offers enhanced visibility and control over building operations. Automation features, coupled with advanced scheduling, contribute to improved energy efficiency, reducing the hospital's operational costs while ensuring a reliable environment for sensitive medical equipment. The system’s real-time data visibility allows facility staff to manage HVAC systems with greater precision and respond to issues more proactively.

Challenges and Solutions: The project encountered several challenges, primarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Manpower constraints and supply chain disruptions delayed material shipments, while strict construction deadlines remained intact. One of the most complex issues involved reverse-engineering the off-site prebuilt mechanical penthouse, which arrived with incomplete controls.

Despite these hurdles, the T.M. Bier & Associates team worked closely with White Plains Hospital to meet all operational and safety requirements. Frequent communication between the project team and the hospital's facilities engineering director helped ensure the BMS’s performance aligned with the hospital’s standards.

Collaboration with Hospital Staff: Close collaboration with the hospital’s engineering team was key to the project’s success. The facilities engineering director played an active role in evaluating system performance and ensuring the BMS graphics and controls met his expectations. Regular communication between T.M. Bier & Associates and hospital staff allowed for timely adjustments and ensured that the system met operational needs upon installation.

Project Impact: Since the installation of the BMS, White Plains Hospital has already observed significant improvements in their building’s operational control. The new system has provided the hospital’s engineering team with a centralized platform for managing HVAC and other essential environmental controls. The increased visibility into their systems allows them to proactively manage their equipment, reducing downtime and maintaining the high standards necessary for healthcare operations.

Conclusion: The successful BMS installation at White Plains Hospital’s CAMS building is a testament to T.M. Bier & Associates’ expertise in delivering complex, high-performance building management systems in healthcare settings. By overcoming significant challenges, including those posed by the pandemic, the team was able to deliver a state-of-the-art system that will serve the hospital for years to come.