University of Utah Health, Electrophysiology Laboratory 4 Modernization

To deliver a fourth-floor imaging laboratory sandwiched between active critical care units within the busiest hospital in Utah, the Fortis team needed to precisely and proactively plan every detail of the five-month project.

Because the lab required the addition of eight tons of new structural steel to support specialized new equipment, Fortis applied its Virtual Design & Construction (VDC) expertise to confirm the existing drawings and conditions. This was key to avoiding issues in construction, as the laser scans and modeling proved that existing steel did not match drawings; the team then created accurate as-built drawings that allowed for success with both the design of steel and MEP elements and the logistics of moving new steel into the hospital. After VDC efforts, Fortis undertook the demolition of a four-inch concrete slab and obsolete steel infrastructure throughout—all while maintaining stringent healthcare protocols and protections and ensuring that none of the adjacent patient or lab spaces were impacted. To add to the project’s complexity, the facility’s Air Handler, which also serves critical hospital treatment areas, was upgraded over a restricted 30-hour window of time on a weekend.

The resulting success: the lab now features upgraded electrical, mechanical, HVAC, and medical gas systems, plus the new Phillips imaging equipment (attached to the added structural steel) suspends from the ceiling to allow physicians to map the heart, identify damaged cells, and treat patients through radiofrequency or cryoablation therapies. The University of Utah Health can now serve more patients and expand treatment options for both life-threatening and non-life-threatening conditions.