To serve patients more efficiently and meet the growing needs of the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS), the academic medical center developed a unique, off-site sterile processing center in southwest Philadelphia. The center processes and readies surgical instruments for reuse for several of Penn Medicine’s area facilities, and serves as the primary storage and distribution center for surgical instrumentation and many of the supplies required by the hospitals.
AKF came on board as the Commissioning Authority for the 109,000 SF building designed as a stand-alone facility for system management and monitoring through a building automation system. The Commissioning and Testing team partnered with Stantec (the project Architect and Engineer) to provide in-depth systems commissioning services, specifically to the mechanical and electrical systems. This involved close coordination and direct quality commissioning activities using consistent protocols and clear and regular communications. Additionally, the team provided the necessary functional test results so any deficiencies could be remedied.
The fast-paced construction schedule presented unique challenges when implementing commissioning as a quality process. It was important for AKF to keep up with construction progress / process as well as develop an effective line of communication with the construction team. AKF’s flexibility related to scheduling allowed the construction to progress at the speed required while integrating the third party commissioning process activities to deliver a high quality, verified final product.
Technical Statistics
