Team Work and Meticulous Coordination Prevailed at Kaiser's Newest Medical Facility in Santa Clara

A team of the world's best heart surgeons couldn't compete with the skill and dedication that went into constructing the highly specialized HVAC system at the new Kaiser Permanente in Santa Clara. Often working weekends and holidays, the CMI crew did whatever necessary to insure the success of this intricate installation. More than 550 inspections were required to meet OSHPD's rigorous standards as this state-of-the-art hospital system filled every inch of ceiling space in the 426,000-square-foot medical facility.

"This was a real eye-opener," states CMI Sheet Metal Foreman Norm Thomas, who has been with CMI for 19 years. It wasn't the massive size of the Kaiser project, which utilized more than 600,000 pounds of sheet metal, that surprised Norm. What impressed him the most was CMI's ability to control the installation, masterminding the precise layering of the equipment with the other trades while meeting the criterion of the rigorous inspection process, and keep the whole show running on time. "CMI's coordination effort was very impressive." Norm states.

This was no small task considering the size of the system and the number of unique components, such as the negative-pressure isolation rooms, and operating rooms that contain high-tech features like Laminar flow diffusers, humidification, and Hepa filtered dedicated exhaust towers. A new MRI facility required a specialized equipment room with AC units and cryogen vents made from 18-gauge welded stainless steel. Other systems included a low pressure steam line to serve 34 humidifiers with integral steam to steam heat exchangers, and a high pressure steam line to serve two steam washer units and two sterilizers. A heat recovery system on the roof top air handlers saves energy by channeling exhaust air into run-around coils which, with the help of an internal pump skid, circulates water to the outside air coil to provide preheating or pre-cooling, depending on the season, for the outside supply air.
Fitting these components into tightly configured hospital space was one of the greatest challenges of this project. For example, finagling a 96-by-36 foot custom exhaust duct into the basement and tying it into a roof top air handler demanded foresight and a good coordination plan.

CMI Piping Foreman Guillermo Ramirez, who has been with CMI for nearly seven years, continues to be amazed by CMI's ability to tackle jobs of this magnitude with so much success. Guillermo says everyone understands the CMI philosophy. "Others may cut corners," he says. "CMI wants the job done right." Guillermo says this attitude trickles down from the very top and really works to set the tone on the job, and pull everyone together with a common goal.

Project Manager Brian Coday agrees. He says teamwork was the most important element in the Kaiser crews' success. "No matter how large or small the issue, we tackled them together." The number of seismic submittals, calculations, inspections and punch lists added to the difficulty of this job, but no matter what the challenge Brian says he could count on his crew as well as the superintendents to do whatever needed to happen. "There was no 'that's not my job' dialogue. Everyone did it all."
This team effort continues as CMI begins Kaiser Permanente's latest expansion projects. Crews are already hard at work on two new Kaiser Hospitals in Vallejo and Vacaville. The Santa Clara team maintains frequent communication with these crews and is eager to share what they learned and help troubleshoot problems.

"I shake my head in amazement when I think about the experiences we've had here over the past two years," Brian states. "At times I didn't know if pizza was going to be enough motivation for the crews to work another weekend. Everyone did an outstanding job, and I feel we paved the way for future coordination and installation philosophies."