EvergreenHealth Critical Care Unit

Back in 2017, DIRTT worked with EvergreenHealth to build a progressive care unit (PCU) that could be easily maintained and quickly upgraded. Mission accomplished, thanks to modular solutions with removable wall panels. When it came time for EvergreenHealth to create a critical care unit (CCU), it made sense for DIRTT to bring those same cost-saving principals to the new build. But why stop there? Having learned so much building the PCU, there was a chance to make the CCU more versatile, more efficient, and more effective.

After a few years of wear and tear on the PCU, it was clear that the drywall and other conventional construction elements had taken a beating. But DIRTT’s durable solutions had maintained their integrity. To reduce future maintenance costs, the decision was made to build as much of the CCU as possible with DIRTT.

Conventional construction creates a lot of dust. During the first Evergreen project, that dust required regular cleaning of DIRTT’s sustainable wall insulation at a substantial cost to the client. Using an easy-to-clean, foil-backed duct liner protected the insulation without impacting acoustic performance.

In response to COVID-19, EvergreenHealth wanted to improve infection prevention by making all 20 rooms negative-pressure capable. And if this change had been made on a project using copper pipes for medical gas, all the brazing that had been done to prep the piping would have had to be redone. And it would have been expensive. DIRTT’s Flex Gas allowed EvergreenHealth to simply change the hose lengths to meet the new design requirements.

The result was a space that offered all the functionality and durability of their PCU with improvements to reduce costs, improve efficiencies on the ward, and deliver exceptional patient care.

For a more in-depth look into this project, check out this case study.