Home Page Image
  Note: While great efforts have been taken to provide accurate and complete information on the pages of CPEP, please be awarethat the information contained herewith is considered a work-in-progress for this thesis project. Modifications and changes related to the origninal building designs and construction methodologies for this senior thesis project are solely the interpretation of Christopher Bratz. Changes and discrepancies in no way imply that the original design contained errors or was flawed. Differing assumptions, code references, requirements, and methodologies have been incorporated into this thesis project; therefore, investigation results may vary from the original design.
 
  

 
Building Statistics
Building: City of Hope: Amini Transfusion Medicine Center
Location: Duarte, CA 91010
Building Occupant: City of Hope: National Medical Center
Occupancy: B8: (Clinic), B14: (Laboratories), S-1: (Moderate Hazard Storage)
Size: 59,800 sq. ft.
Stories: 3 (above grade)
Project Team:
     Owner: City of Hope
     Architect/Engineers: EwingCole
     CM/GC: DPR Construction Inc.
Construction Dates: 06.11.07 - 01.22.09
Project Cost: $19,684,986 (Construction cost from DD package)
Delivery Method: Design-Bid-Build
 
Architecture: The Amini Medical Center is a blood collection, analysis, processing, transfusion, and storage facility. This building has a limestone veneer and stucco facade with large glass curtain walls on the North and West exposures. The main entrance is marked by a 6 ft. overhang to help distinguish it from other building entrances. The interior zoning of the space flows well for the the building's multiple functions. Stairs and elevators are located at both ends of the building connected by a wide central corridor on all floors. This design allows zones to be set up on the East and West sides of the central corridor without interrupting the flow of personnel and incoming patients.
 
Applicable Codes:
2002 County of Los Angeles Building Code
2005 County of Los Angeles Electrical Code
2002 County of Los Angeles Plumbing Code
2002 County of Los Angeles Mechanical Code
2002 County of Los Angeles Fire Code
 
Building Envelope:
Glass: Viracon 1" insulated glass, VE1-2M with dot frit pattern.
Typ. Wall 1: 2" Stone veneer, 1" Airspace, WP membrane over 5/8" Dens Glas Fire                      Resistive Sheathing, 6" 16 GA Met Stud @ 16" O.C. with R-19 Batt, and 5/8"                      GWB-Type 'X'
Typ. Wall 2: 7/8" Stucco over WP membrane, 5/8" Dens Glas Fire Resistive Sheathing,                      6" 16 GA Met Stud @ 16" O.C. with R-19 Batt, and 5/8" GWB-Type 'X'
Spandrel Curtain Wall: Glass, 2" 8# Mineral Wool, 3 5/8" Met Stud @ 16: O.C. R-17                                        Insulation, and 5/8" GWB-Type 'X'
Roof: 60MIL RFG Membrane, 1/4" Dens Deck Cover Board, 6" Rigid Insulation, 5/8" Gyp.           Brd. Exterior Sheathing, Metal Deck, Spray Fire Proofing
 
Construction: The Amini Center project delivery was done using the Design-Bid-Build methodology. The project started construction in May of 2007 and is expected to be completed in January of 2009. The building is attempting to obtain a LEED Gold certification.
 
Electrical:  The main power service to the Amini Center is 12.47 KV feeder to a 1500 KVA transformer. The 1500 KVA transformer serves the main 2000 Amp switchboard with a connected load calculated at 1126 KVA. An emergency back-up power service is also provided to the building for critical spaces. A 4160 V emergency power feeder is stepped down with a 750 KVA transformer which serves the 1200 Amp emergency power switchboard. The emergency power switchboard has a connected load calculated at 818 KVA. The emergency power for this building connects to 3 automatic transfer switches which serve the building's Life Safety equipment, Critical Equipment like the stem cell freezers, and Other Equipment like the air handlers and blood storage coolers. The building is also equipped with the capability of plugging in a roll up generator in cases of prolonged power interruption.
 
Lighting: Because the Amini Center is located in California, specifically L.A. County, lighting power allowances are relatively stringent compared to other locations. For this reason, fluorescent lighting fixtures are provided throughout the building. Typical Lab spaces and offices contain 4', 2 lamp, T5 HO fixtures. Common rooms like copy areas and break rooms contain 2x4, 3 lamp, T8 fixtures. The bathrooms and hallways contain triple tube compact fluorescent downlights. Mechanical, Electrical, and other unoccupied rooms contain 4', 2 lamp, T8 fixtures. All fixtures throughout the building operate at 277 V and have electronic ballasts.
 
Mechanical: The Amini Center is part of the City of Hope Medical Campus which has a central heating and cooling plant. Chilled water and high pressure steam are distributed through out the campus for the heating and cooling needs. Chilled water, at 42 degrees F, enters the Amini Center along the South wall and is pumped to fan coil (FCU) and rooftop air handling units (AHU) for the building's cooling needs. The combined cooling capacity of the AHUs is listed at 1483 MBH while the FCUs combine for 360 MBH. High pressure steam also enters the building along the South wall where it enters a pressure reducing station resulting in medium pressure steam. Part of the medium pressure steam is used by a steam water heater to produce 140 degree domestic hot water for the building. The rest of the medium pressure steam enters another pressure reducing station resulting in low pressure steam which is piped to a heat transfer package on the roof. The heat transfer package produces 160 degree hot water which is pumped to the AHUs and reheat coils throughout the building.
 
Structural: The Amini Center is a 3 story structure made from steel frame construction. The building has a cast-in-place foundation wall with spread footers. The ground floor is a 6" concrete slab over an 8" aggregate and subgrade. The floors of the building are a 5 1/2" concrete slab over a composite metal deck with a typical W16X26 framing. The roof is a 5 1/4" concrete slab over a composite metal deck with a typical W16X26 framing similar to the other floors. Due to seismic concerns in this part of the country, specific vibration isolation and lateral bracing needed to be accounted for in designing this structure.
 
Transportation: Because the Amini Center deals with treating patients with medical afflications, transportation in and out of the facility is very important. The design of the property around the Amini Center allows for automotive traffic on three of the buildings 4 sides. A large parking lot is located on the north side of the building where the main entrance is located. This minimizes the walking distance for anyone entering the facility. Inside the building, there are two elevators and two staircases; one each on both the North and South ends of the building. On each floor, an 8 ft. wide corridor runs North and South connecting the two egress paths. This allows easy flow through the building without many complications.
 
Telecommunications: The Amini center is equipped with two telecommunication rooms. Beside the typical voice and data outlets provided for buildings, the Amini Center is also equipped with a few extra features. An overhead speaker system was provided for bothe the first and second floors; security cameras were installed in certain locations; wireless access was provided throughout the building; security card readers were installed at specific locations.