Mahaska County Hospital had a problem...
The professionals who operate hospitals understand the importance of good air quality in maintaining a healthy environment. Unfortunately, many health care facilities don't have the proper systems or adequate ventilation to meet current codes. That was the case for Mahaska County Hospital in Oskaloosa, Iowa. In 1965, the hospital was remodeled and expanded. This included building a new multi-story wing. In 1998, the hospital decided to do a complete retrofit of the mechanical system in the new wing and bring everything up to 1998 codes. To meet this challenge, the hospital retained KJWW Engineering Consultants (Kimmel Jensen Wegerer Wray) to engineer the renovation. In addition to meeting the new code standards, KJWW Engineering Consultants knew the project would include problems with existing space that would be difficult to solve. The 1965 system used a dual duct design with constant volume terminal boxes. The hot and cold air spiral ductwork ran through vertical chases located in the exterior wall of each patient's room. The free area of the chase was used to draw return air back down to the mechanical room. Supply air was routed to the register in the window sill located on each side of the shaft. The biggest obstacle was figuring out how to bring the system up to 1998 codes without requiring additional space.