CIAT brings its expertise to a major healthcare centre in France

Located in the town of Bourgoin-Jallieu in southeastern France, Médipôle brings together the three main healthcare facilities in the northern section of the Isère department - the new Pierre Oudot General Hospital, Saint Vincent de Paul Clinic, and Vion Psychotherapy Centre - on a single site. Altogether, the three facilities offer over 650 beds.

Pierre Oudot General Hospital is a remarkable achievement in healthcare facility construction. Built on a 10-hectare lot and costing € 150 million, the hospital was built as part of an initiative to modernize France's hospitals and was made possible by a private-public partnership between Bouygues, la Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations, and the FIDEPPP investment and development fund.

After a construction period that lasted from January 2008 to October 2010, the hospital will admit its first patients in May 2011.

CIAT reaffirmed its commitment to the French HQE standard for green buildings by meeting the prime contractor's exacting environmental specifications. The efficiency objectives and challenges in terms of thermal comfort were among the exclusion criteria of the invitation to tender. CIAT's designers selected solutions that combine three sources of energy (biomass, gas, and thermodynamic), resulting in a building that is 20% more energy efficient than conventional structures.

CIAT equipped the facility with four Xtra Low Noise version Powerciat LXC 3900 air-cooled water chillers that deliver a total capacity of 3350 kW. It also installed 130 Airclean/Airtech air handling units with heat recovery to deliver over 500,000 m³/h of air.

Saint Vincent de Paul Clinic primarily provides surgical and maternity services. CIAT equipped it with two Xtra Low Noise version Powerciat LXC 1800 air-cooled water chillers. Each delivers a capacity of 320 kW. It also installed 23 Airclean/Airtech air handling units to deliver conditioned air to the operating theatres and to the Coadis, Major 2 and UTA Compact comfort units inside the clinic.

Vion Psychotherapy Centre opened its doors in March 2009.

Its HVAC system makes use of three types of energy: gas energy, solar energy, and energy from the air. CIAT installed an Xtra Low Noise version Powerciat LXH 2500 water chiller with built-in hydraulic module and buffer tank, three Airtop air handling units, and over 300 comfort units (Coadis Medical Comfort, Major 2, UTA Compact) to ensure comfortable indoor conditions in the centre's communal areas and patients' rooms.