Projects - Texas Children's Hospital Feigin Research Center
Houston, Texas
Part of the major Texas Children’s Hospital complex additions and renovations, the Feigin Center underwent extensive renovations of approximately 160,000 square feet in 2001.
The vivarium portion of the project consisted of approximately 18,000 square feet on levels 1 and 2 of the facility. The area includes a 9 Tesla MRI suite, two imaging laboratories with CT, Pet Scanner and other imaging equipment, a microscopy lab, analysis lab, sterilization area with soiled and clean cage wash stations, two procedure rooms, fourteen housing rooms, a server room, shared equipment technology rooms and their supporting administrative areas. Additional equipment supported by the design includes biological safety cabinets and radiation isotope fume hoods, a large bulk animal sterilizer, an ultrasound system scanner, a biological irradiator, cage washers and computer equipment.
The HVAC system includes two new dedicated air handling units for the vivarium. The HVAC system is on the facility’s emergency power system and employs variable frequency drives. An airflow tracking system is provided in each critical area to adjust the area pressurization automatically to maximize energy efficiency while maintaining the required area pressure relationships. The network room is provided with its own dedicated computer room air handling unit.
The HVAC, electrical, and plumbing systems were master planned to allow a future expansion of approximately 3,000 square feet. The infrastructure was constructed in place and terminated adjacent to the planned expansion to minimize disruption to vivarium personnel in the future once the planned expansion construction commences.