Replacement of Evaporative Coolers

Fort Harrison, MT : VA Medical Center

This project was a Design-Build project where GCH worked closely with a local design team to replace the existing Evaporative Cooling equipment and install all new cooling equipment supporting the hospital’s Kitchen and Laundry areas. The existing system was a DX system. This project included the demolition and replacement of all mechanical piping and ductwork. GCH provided and installed all new controls for all Kitchen and Laundry units, integrating each unit into the existing controls system. The laundry side included replacement of the two existing outside air RTU’s serving the Dirty and Clean Laundry areas. The units were replaced completely with two (2) fully packaged DX RTU’s. The existing units were removed and disposed of. This project required upgrading the electrical services, controls, mechanical piping/ductwork, and duct cleaning of the existing sections of ductwork. This project also included minor architectural patching and painting within the laundry area. For the kitchen side, this project included the replacement of the direct and indirect evaporative coolers serving the kitchen areas. The two coolers were replaced with a single DX coil and remote condensing unit. Work required new roof supports and flashing for the new condensing unit which was located on the roof.

EHRM Infrastructure Upgrades

Fort Harrison, MT: Veteran Affairs Medical Center

The EHRM Infrastructure Upgrades project at the Fort Harrison VAMC consisted of the upgrading of the entire data communication and fiber infrastructure backbone of the VA Medical Campus. This included the re-cabling of all existing data cabling within the campus to CAT 6A. To support this, there was extensive architectural and structural renovations including new finished spaces, doors, and flooring systems. Additionally, GCH had to make upgrades to existing HVAC, reprogramming of existing controls, along with the installation of new HVAC and new controls. Civil site work included installation of concrete duct banks, pre-cast manholes, excavation and repair of existing building waterproofing and the restoration of site conditions. Work also included upgrades to Physical Access Control, Intrusion Detection and Security as well as Fire Suppression upgrades to new gaseous suppression systems and fire alarm upgrades.

Renovate Primary Care

Fort Harrison, MT: Veteran Affairs Medical Center

The Renovate Primary Care design-bid-build project consisted of the construction of an 18,400 SF facility connected to the main hospital. This facility houses the Primary Care unit including space for examinations, treatments, patient and staff education, group counseling, staff work areas, and common spaces. Additionally, the project required a level of renovation to approximately 2,340 SF of existing space to facilitate an adequate connection to adjacent VA campus clinics. GCH coordinated with VA facilities and local utility companies to relocate gas and electric lines. Underground work involved relocating sanitary main lines as well as a stormwater line. A new 6” domestic water line was tapped and brought into the new building. The building construction consisted of a two-story structure with a mechanical penthouse on the roof area. The ground floor structure consisted of 12” thick concrete poured walls, including blast resistant windows throughout the building as well as a sliding door system for every exam room. The outside façade consisted of brick masonry with a precast accent border. Construction of the new addition included a 600 SF storefront vestibule that included skylights and luminescent panels. All new HVAC, plumbing, and electrical systems were included in the new construction. Additional building systems included a fire alarm/wet sprinkler system and a nurse call system. The project also involved the installation of a 5,000 lb. elevator. Additional site work consisted of removing existing sidewalks in favor of the installation of new heated sidewalks with an underground heating system, a new loading dock, and an overhead steel structure to accommodate the potential influx of deliveries to the facility.