47.5 MB - The Whole Building Design Guide

Perhaps the most serious consequence of the impeded access wasthe way it affected the evacuation of hospitals in New Orleans.Serious disruptions in hospital operations required immediateevacuation, which could not take place because the streets werenot accessible for up to 5 days. There was a critical need for ahelipad, either on the roof or an equivalent landing area on aparking structure, with emergency lighting for night operation.Elevated parking structures were a great asset, providing both aprotection for the vehicles and a convenient helicopter landingsite on the roof. They were especially useful if the parking structurehad an elevated pedestrian bridge to the hospital.4.2.5 Architectural DesignA typical hospital configuration is based on access requirementsthat usually place the emergency department on the first floorin order to receive walk-in patients or those brought in by ambulances.Clinical laboratory and imaging are frequently on thefirst floor as well, as are surgery and intensive care units in manysmaller hospitals. All of these are vital services in the event of anemergency and for providing routine patient care. Location onthe first floor frequently exposes them to additional risks fromnatural hazards, especially flooding, as became evident duringHurricane Katrina.Building configuration and general shape frequently contribute tohigh-wind damage. Protrusions and projections in walls and roofscause additional wind turbulence that increases uplift pressures.The penthouse at West Jefferson Medical Center illustrates thevulnerability of projections and corners to high winds (see Figure4-4). Large portions of metal cladding came loose because theywere not designed or constructed to resist these loads.Canopies, which most hospitals have over drop-off areas, are particularlysusceptible to uplift and other damage, if not designed toresist the loads (see Figure 4-5). Glass-enclosed lobbies and atria,common to many hospitals, also proved to be a hazard, becauseof the large areas of usually unprotected glazing that could easilyshatter under the impact of wind-borne debris. In many cases,these areas were closed during the storm, thereby cutting off amajor point of access to the hospitals.OBSERVATIONS ON THE PERFORMANCE OF CRITICAL FACILITIES4-9