June 2006
(http://www.bfrl.nist.gov) and are described in the following reports: NBSIR 85-3158, Fire Per-
formance of Interstitial Space Construction System; and NISTIR 5560, Fire Performance of an
Interstitial Space Construction System. The reports may be found at:
http://fire.nist.gov/bfrlpubs/fire85/art006.html
and http://fire.nist.gov/bfrlpubs/fire95/art055.html
Details of typical assemblies are provided in Appendix C.
315.5 Floor Vibration: The sensitivity of many pieces of modern medical equipment to floor
vibrations has increased dramatically since the publication of the Red Book. For steel building
design AISC Design Guide 11 Floor Vibrations Due to Human Activities is the basic reference
that should be followed. Each project may have unique pieces of equipment that may require
special consideration, such as vibration isolation, which would need to be accommodated in the
design.
Amend Section 315 to add new subsection 315.6 as follows.
315.6 Sustainable Design: Sustainable Design is now a consideration for all disciplines that
needs to be included in modern hospital design, including structural.
316.1.1 Excessive Length of Building: The maximum 300 feet distance between expansion
joints should be considered a general guideline. Greater or shorter lengths may be required
depending on the geographic location of the building, its plan configuration, and the heating and
cooling systems that are provided in the building.
317 Target Costs: Have not been updated to reflect current market and developments in ma-
terials and detailing.
Ceiling
There have been several developments in the design and construction of ceiling systems in
VAHBS buildings from the prototype system described in the Red Book. The most significant
changes have been the separation of the finish ceiling from the platform/ceiling assembly and
materials used for the platform diaphragm.
321 Basic Design: Unlike the combined platform ceiling subsystem proposed in the Red
Book, current practice is to use two subzones. The S-6 subzone is now the walk-on platform.
The S-7 subzone includes the space below the platform and a suspended finish ceiling. Recent
editions of the VA Fire Protection Manual have clarified that the fire rating is to consider the en-
tire "floor/ceiling" assembly from the bottom of the interstitial deck to the top of the structural
floor above. 2-hour fire resistance is required for the assembly (see comments for Section
315.1).
Various concretes have been used for the walk-on platform diaphragm. The trend has been
away from gypsum based materials to lightweight Portland cement concrete. A primary reason
for this move is that unless sealed or hardened, the gypsum concrete as used in the early decks
can produce troublesome quantities of dust (particularly in high traffic aisles).
SUPPLEMENT TO RESEARCH STUDY REPORT
VA HOSPITAL BUILDING SYSTEM
SECTION 4-9
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