Sheltering Arms Medical Gas Install

Sheltering Arms Institute in Short Pump, Virginia, is a state-of-the-science rehabilitation hospital integrating advanced technology, research, and clinical care to create exceptional results for their patients. The inpatient rehabilitation facility is an ultramodern destination hospital focused on caring for those who have survived strokes, spinal cord or brain injuries. The staff treats those in need of general rehabilitation or various neurological diseases and disorders as well.

The newly constructed building took almost two years to plan, design and build. Southern Air earned the design-assist mechanical and plumbing contracts, which included a large medical gas job. Our engineers and estimators helped with the pre-construction phase to help with constructability and keeping the project under budget.

Our Richmond construction teams were all over the 212,000 square-foot building. We installed the mechanical HVAC systems, controls, five large DX Trane rooftop units, an air handler, make-up air unit, and more than 400 hot water reheat VaV systems supplied by three boilers in the mechanical room. Plumbing crews put in a very unique siphonic roof drain system and tackled arguably one of the largest medical gas contracts our company has ever seen. Not only did we have to Med-Gas certify additional mechanics, but at one point we had every certified Southern Air technician working at Sheltering Arms.

The Safety Team stayed very engaged, visiting the work site for 78 safety inspections. Sheltering Arms was also the site for three project manager safety audits where managers discussed findings and addressed jobsite concerns with construction team members. This resulted in the expert installation of multiple comfort and life-supporting systems for the hospital.

A unique advantage Southern Air customers often enjoy is the ease of moving from a major construction project to the necessary preventive maintenance contract for all their new machinery. Our Service Departments have some of the most knowledgeable technicians in the industry. What could be better than a Southern Air Service preventive maintenance agreement to care for your Southern Air installed mechanical equipment?

The excellent work and connections made by major construction personnel gave Southern Air’s Service and Sales departments a head start on presenting their value. Salesmen met with the customer multiple times early in the project to discuss the maintenance services Southern Air offers. It’s not uncommon for contracts like these to take a while to finalize. Typically, maintenance agreements like this can take years to acquire and we did this in a matter of months because of the teamwork between major mechanical and service. By working together, this project has been a huge success for both the construction and service departments.

It will be the job of Southern Air’s Service Department to take care of the vast array of the equipment keeping Sheltering Arms functioning efficiently. They will change filters, clean coils, change belts, troubleshoot and otherwise maintain the equipment to make sure it’s running properly. One of their main goals is to keep customer equipment operating to its full capacity and meeting its max lifetime.

After spending years helping build the remarkable rehabilitation hospital, Sheltering Arms is a place where you will continue to spot Southern Air. Supporting front line workers in the medical fields are some of the best jobs to walk away from with our heads held high. We cannot thank our construction and service teams enough for working so well together. The name says Southern Air on all our shirts, and we do our best work when it’s together.

Watch how Southern Air did their part to bring Sheltering Arms to life before turning the building over to our Service Department to ensure they get the most from their mechanical systems.