The Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center is located just outside of downtown Baltimore and has been in service dating back to 1773, making it one of the oldest continuous medical centers in the United States. In addition to serving as a massive medical center, Bayview also serves as a campus to Johns Hopkins University, as all the physicians on staff are also faculty of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, with it also being home to the top ranked nursing school in the country. The campus sprawls over 130 acres.
Since the 1980s, over $600 million has been allocated towards facility upgrades and renovations. Recently, the heating and A/C systems have been upgraded, which required a larger cooling tower. The upgrade required an increase from 4 HVAC units to 6 units. This required a tower to be installed due to the size and weight restrictions of the roof that the current units were positioned on. This tower consisted of 200 tons of structural steel with stairs and handrail in addition, all of which was hot-dip galvanized.
Because the units being replaced were the primary heating and A/C source of the entire 130-acre campus, the project was completed in phases, taking over 12 months to complete. There is now access to the units from the roof on which the old units were situated.
When asked if another coating was considered, the general contractor stated that hot-dip galvanizing was the only consideration due to its corrosion protection, durability and lifespan. This tower needs to have a long life-cycle and that was the main concern.
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