Abbott Northwestern Hospital

The Abbott Northwestern Hospital Central Utility Plant (CUP) is a new, 3-story, 70,000 square foot facility replacing four 1950s-era plants spread across the hospital’s campus. The new plant houses modern technology that is cleaner, more efficient, and more reliable in a central location, providing steam, chilled water, and electricity to 1.8M square feet of critical hospital space via over 1,000 linear feet of underground utility distribution tunnels.

Located in an urban setting and adjacent to surgical suites and other sensitive hospital programs, the project required careful coordination and planning to ensure minimal disruption to hospital neighbors, patients, staff, and visitors. The project site required the demolition of two existing buildings, extensive earth retention and underpinning, and vibration and dust monitoring/mitigation programs.

Major equipment in the CUP includes an 80,000 lb./hour boiler, a 60,000 lb./hour boiler, a 4.2 megawatt gas combustion turbine with an 80,000 lb./hour heat recovery steam generator, four 2,500 ton chillers, six 3,333 gallon/minute cooling towers, water treatment systems, rainwater collection systems, and three emergency generators.