Mecosta County Medical Center
Additional Info
Award Winner : Innovative Modular Solutions, Inc.
Architectural Excellence : The Modular Magnetic Resonance Imaging Building installed at Mecosta County Medical Center is the latest addition to a nationally recognized hospital in Big Rapids, MI.
This unique, permanent modular MRI building houses a Control Room, Scan Room & an Equipment Room. The Control Room contains a wash sink & operators area. The Scan Room is enclosed with RF shielding & contains the 1.5T MRI. The Equipment Room feeds the magnet with the required operational systems. A concrete, steel-paneled, raised modular computer floor was designed for easy cabling access. The MRI was installed just days after the modular building was craned into place with the use of 70 ton and 90 ton cranes. The exterior of the building utilized a matching three tone brick and EIFS scheme that was developed for previous hospital additions. It was imperative that the modular portion of the hospital blend seamlessly with the existing architecture, as evidenced in the exterior photo submitted with this entry.
Cost Energy Effectiveness : Mecosta County Medical Center had a semi truck-transported temporary MRI that was regularly attached to a loading bay of the Imaging department. The customer desired a permanent building, but there was limited land to site-build. A modular building solution was chosen to incur the least amount of hospital site disruption & to make use of several cost savings factors such as utilizing existing utilities and networking installations. Additionally, placing the unit in the exact location of the mobile unit maintained existing fire exits. The new modular was crane set under an existing overhang.
Energy efficiencies were realized by selecting the best cooling system for the situational use of the building. Tremendous heat generated in the Equipment Room requires year round, continuous cooling. Independent temperature controls are required for the exam area to insure patient comfort. The modular solution was to use two separate sized and separate controlled HVAC units.
Design Firm Name : Kirk Associate Architects
Occupied Date : 6/1/2006
Production Start Date : 3/1/2006
Project Location City : Big Rapids
Project Location State Name : MI
Technical Innovation : The modular building to house the MRI was constructed in the factory with poured concrete floors that had two separate finish floor elevations for the installation and use of the MRI equipment. The Scan Room was installed in the factory with steel shielded walls, a shielding door and special mounting locations for the 11,000 pound magnet positioning. The shielding and the special shielded door were inspected and pre-calibrated in the factory. The interior finishes for the rooms, including the Scan Room were completed by the manufacturer as well. The magnet supplier provided equipment room components that were pre-installed by the modular building manufacturer. The remainder of the ceiling was completed in the field, after the magnet was installed and venting was connected. The building was built with pre-assembled running gear, so a few bolts eased the removal of all the running gear. The building is permanently located in a docking area for a previously used semi-based MRI.
Total Square Feet : 750