HCA Healthcare, Aventura Hospital Emergency Cooling Tower Replacement

When the South Florida hospital’s cooling towers required immediate repair, HCA turned to Burns for a temporary cooling plan and design of a more structurally sound, energy-efficient and lower-maintenance replacement.

HCA Healthcare’s Aventura Hospital and Medical Center is a 407-bed, full-service emergency care facility located north of Miami. A remotely located energy plant serving the hospital relied upon three 800-ton cooling towers and three 60-horsepower condenser water pumps. Along with three 800-ton chillers, the system provided chilled and condensed water throughout the 11-floor patient tower.

In 2019, maintenance staff identified major damage to the tower support structures and cooling fans caused by the harsh coastal environment and the tower’s vibrations.

Burns mobilized quickly, providing design and oversight over the system’s demolition and replacement. Four, 500-ton temporary cooling towers were brought on site, along with two 75-HP condenser water pumps, to maintain hospital operations throughout the transition.

The $1.7 million replacement project features three, direct-driven stainless-steel cooling towers, new condenser water pumps and structural support that will last throughout the towers’ lifetime.

Similar projects include facility designs for Osceola Regional Medical Center, Blake Medical Center and Brandon Regional Hospital.