Nebraska Medicine Biocontainment Unit
The Nebraska Biocontainment Patient Care Unit (BPCU) is a 10-bed, 4,100-SF facility in the university tower. When originally constructed the unit was the first-of-its-kind and remains the largest in the US for public patients. The facility is designed to be environmentally self-contained for the treatment of patients having contracted any one of a variety of highly-contagious diseases.
Client
Nebraska Medicine
At a glance
5 patient rooms
Environmental control system – 15 air changes per hour
Changing booths, pass-thru lockers
Autoclave
Decontamination, pass-through shower
Central work station
Video phones and windows for patient comfort
Features
Secure entrance and exit
Unidirectional path of air, staff, equipment
Dedicated air-handling system that filters incoming and outgoing air using HEPA and UV light, with patient rooms kept at negative pressure
Specially treated surfaces withstand repeated disinfecting solutions
Air-tight welded and treated seams and drop-down ceilings to protect adjacent non-containment areas
Services
Architectural design
Engineering: mechanical, electrical, and structural
Interior design
