Hospitals

Assessment Context

Healthcare facilities in Bangladesh include government hospitals, private hospitals and clinics, diagnostic centres, specialised treatment facilities and nursing homes. Hospital buildings are among the most complex building types, combining multiple occupancy types (patient wards, operating theatres, laboratories, pharmacies, kitchens, offices, residential quarters) with critical infrastructure requirements. The inability to fully evacuate a hospital during emergencies makes fire compartmentation and defend-in-place strategies especially important.

Fire Safety — Defend in Place

Hospitals cannot be evacuated like other building types — many patients are non-ambulatory, connected to medical equipment, or in critical condition. Fire-safety strategy relies on horizontal evacuation (moving patients to adjacent fire compartments on the same floor) rather than vertical evacuation via stairs. Assessment must verify: fire compartmentation between zones (minimum 30-minute fire-rated barriers), smoke-tight doors with hold-open devices on fire alarm, corridor widths adequate for bed evacuation, fire detection and alarm with zoned activation, sprinkler coverage, smoke management, and fire-fighting provisions (wet risers, fire-fighter lifts).

Critical Infrastructure

Hospitals require uninterruptible power for life-support equipment, operating theatres, intensive care, emergency lighting and fire systems. Assessment covers: dual utility power feeds (where available), generator systems with automatic transfer (typically within 10 seconds for critical loads), UPS for life-critical equipment, fuel storage autonomy, and electrical distribution to critical and non-critical loads. Medical gas systems (oxygen, nitrous oxide, compressed air, vacuum) require assessment of pipeline integrity, alarm systems, manifold rooms and cylinder storage safety.

Infection Control

HVAC systems in hospitals serve infection control as well as thermal comfort. Assessment should verify: pressure relationships between clean and dirty areas, air change rates in operating theatres and isolation rooms, HEPA filtration where required, temperature and humidity control in critical areas, and maintenance of air handling units. Water system assessment includes Legionella risk management, hot water temperature control, and water quality in patient areas.

Structural Considerations

Hospital buildings support heavy equipment including imaging systems (MRI, CT scanners), operating theatre equipment, and centralised plant. MRI installations require both structural support for the magnet weight and electromagnetic shielding. Radiation shielding in radiology departments uses high-density concrete or lead-lined walls, adding significant dead load. Assessment should verify structural adequacy for these specialised loads and the condition of shielding materials.