Medimec: using copper pipes to deliver medical gas

Medimec is a class-leading provider of medical and industrial gas systems. This Irish-owned company has more than 70 years of industry experience, offering a complete turn-key design and installation service, and specialising in the healthcare, industrial, pharmaceutical and educational sectors.

Throughout early 2021, the Medimec team was working on the National Children’s Hospital in Dublin. The new €1.4 billion hospital is being built on the site of the old St James’ Hospital, first built in 1727 and linked to names including Jonathan Swift and Arthur Guinness, who both served on its board of governors.

The new hospital will become the epicentre for a national network of care, and a medical building of this scale called for the largest medical gases project in the history of the state.

Tens of thousands of meters of anti-microbial medical copper pipes have been installed to carry essential medical gases throughout the hospital building, which includes 22 operating theatres, each requiring 20 gas lines.

With 18 gases running to each of the 84 ceiling pendants, the project has been a challenge not only in its complexity, but also in terms of sheer size.

Each member of the team has clocked up an average of 25,000 steps throughout their working day, giving an indication of the enormous area that this new copper installation covers.

An installation on this size and scale takes detailed planning, and Medimec has worked closely with Jones Engineering Group to ensure that every inch of this project has been delivered to the highest possible standard.

A video of Medimec’s progress on the installation to date can be viewed here, showing the intricate nature of this unprecedented project.

The National Children’s Hospital was set to be completed in August 2022, however this date is expected to be extended due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A new completion date is expected to be announced soon, along with an estimated timescale for welcoming the new hospital’s first patients through its doors.

More news