Calculating patient care/dentist office

[Matt Mckenzie]

Do we calculate for office lighting or hospital lighting if we are calculating a dentist office?

 

[Smart $]

Offhand I'd say a hospital's required unit load is lower because there is likely gong to be more area percentage wise with lighting turned off or with lower required illumination than a dentist's office... not to mention the "office" part hints that the higher unit load should be used. But I'm open to other opinions. :happyyes:

 

[steve66]

I'd also say office.
It's really not a hospital in any way.

 

[kwired]

I'd say the patient care areas get treated differently then the office spaces, and would in a hospital also.

 

[Julius Right]

It produces some confusion since art.517.2 Definition a Health Care Facilities considers "medical and dental offices" as health care facility, when, on the other hand, Art. 517.1 Not Covered. says:
Business offices, corridors, waiting rooms, and the like in clinics, medical and dental offices, and outpatient facilities...
That means, in my opinion, part II is required for dental treatment room but is not for the office-if this is a separate room.

 

[Smart $]

I'd say the patient care areas get treated differently then the office spaces, and would in a hospital also.

It produces some confusion since art.517.2 Definition a Health Care Facilities considers "medical and dental offices" as health care facility, when, on the other hand, Art. 517.1 Not Covered. says:
Business offices, corridors, waiting rooms, and the like in clinics, medical and dental offices, and outpatient facilities...
That means, in my opinion, part II is required for dental treatment room but is not for the office-if this is a separate room.

Table 220.12 does not have a "Health Care Facility" Type of Occupancy. It has Hospitals at 2VA/ft² and it has Office buildings at 3.5VA/ft².

This is fine if he wants to divvy up the facility's area, but classifying it all as office area covers the 2VA/ft² required minimum general lighting load for any patient care area that may fall into a Hospital-occupancy area.

 

[kwired]

Table 220.12 does not have a "Health Care Facility" Type of Occupancy. It has Hospitals at 2VA/ft² and it has Office buildings at 3.5VA/ft².

This is fine if he wants to divvy up the facility's area, but classifying it all as office area covers the 2VA/ft² required minimum general lighting load for any patient care area that may fall into a Hospital-occupancy area.

Did not look at the table before replying, but my point is not all the building is necessarily the same type of use when using the table, neither is a hospital. A really large hospital may have areas in the building / on the campus that are not direct health care related at all.

Your average dental clinic isn't so large that using the classification that gives you the highest VA per square foot is going to be extremely overboard though, and may be the simplest way to go. A large hospital however you wouldn't want to go 3.5VA sq ft for everything just because there are offices in there as well as other spaces with lesser requirements. You may have an entire floor, wing, etc. that is nothing but offices, or something other then health care areas.

 

[steve66]

I'd say the patient care areas get treated differently then the office spaces, and would in a hospital also.

So if they aren't offices, then what are category in the table are you going to use? Hospitals?

I think even the patient care areas are closer to an office than a hospital. Hospitals have overnight patient rooms. Dentists offices do not.

IMO, its all an office (except corridors and storerooms and areas of that type.)

 

[kwired]

So if they aren't offices, then what are category in the table are you going to use? Hospitals?

I think even the patient care areas are closer to an office than a hospital. Hospitals have overnight patient rooms. Dentists offices do not.

IMO, its all an office (except corridors and storerooms and areas of that type.)

Good question, those two categories are closest fit. I doubt you would have an extreme undersized supply if you used the 2 VA instead of the 3 VA on a typical dental clinic, so pick which ever you think is best. Something else to consider - the values in the table have been there long before we had some of the energy efficient lighting we have today as well.