EQUANS takes part in the installation of electrical and HVAC equipment for the largest hospital in Wallonia.
Air treatment, heating, air conditioning, emergency generator sets, fire detection or lighting management… For many years, EQUANS has put its multi-technical expertise at the service of health care. After the Chirec Delta, the Jules Bordet Institute, or the AZ St Maarten, our teams are currently participating in the construction of the largest private hospital in Wallonia: the GHdC.
A “Super Hospital”
Located on the Viviers site in Gilly, the Grand Hôpital de Charleroi (GHdC) covers 156,000 m² and has 23 operating rooms, 32 intensive care units, 986 beds, 10 rooms for severe burns and a heliport. Located on a former coal mine, it aims to offer maximum comfort to patients, in a pleasant and safe environment. Brought together in temporary associations for the occasion, EQUANS and its partners (EEG, VMA, Cegelec and Close) are in charge of installing the electrical and HVAC equipment for the entire site.
Mega Power
And whoever says mega building, says mega power. For heating and air conditioning, for example, the work will revolve around 2 condensing boilers (with a total power of 9,500 kW), 2 steam boilers (with a total power of 5,000 kW) and 2 cogeneration units (with a total power of 780 kW). Three chillers with a total power of 9999 kW and 2 heat pumps with a total power of 500 kW will complete the package. This equipment will be installed in an enormous machine room, located right next to the hospital. Ventilation will be provided by around a hundred air handling units, installed in the technical rooms of the building, for a total flow of 1,200,000 m³/hour.
Complete Electrical Solution
And from the point of view of electrical installations? Here too, the project is impressive! There are 1,300 km of structured copper cabling and 12 km of fibre, 2,325 badge readers for access control, 6,300 nurse call devices, nearly 10,400 fire detectors and 3 1,500 kVA standby generator sets to guarantee continuity of services in all circumstances. Lighting will be controlled via the KNX protocol, which will offer great flexibility in managing the luminaires and the possibility of achieving significant energy savings.
Critical Equipment Under Control
Work began at the end of 2021. For their part, the EQUANS teams are concentrating on the buildings called “hotfloor” and “Factory” which will house the most critical medical activities (such as operating theatres and intensive care units). In this area of high technical intensity, every detail is important. Absolute filters for air purification, positive or negative pressure system to avoid the slightest contamination inside and outside the operating rooms… Everything has been planned to offer maximum safety to patients and hospital staff. In the event of a power outage, for example, local UPSs will take over with an efficiency of 99%.
BIM Procedure and 3D Modelling
The entire project is carried out within the framework of a BIM (Building Information Modelling) procedure which, thanks to 3D modelling, provides an overall view of all the technical aspects. Equipped with the best in terms of facilities and technologies, the new hospital will have more than 100 different professions. Bringing together in one place the former hospital sites of Sainte-Thérèse, Saint-Joseph, Notre-Dame, Reine Fabiola and the IMTR, it is expected to open its doors on 7 June 2024. This is the date by which our teams will have completed the surroundings and the car park, in order to welcome the first patients in the best conditions.
