Shape Communities. Grow Your Career.
We know that building great communities starts with teams made up of great people. If you’re exploring ways to collaborate and make an impact, join us.
Explore Career Opportunities
St. Ignatius, Montana
St. Ignatius Community Health Clinic
Expanding Tribal Health Services
The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) of the Flathead Reservation needed medical facilities for its people in the Mission Valley. Their original 1960s-era facility had a clinic, mental health services, and areas for X-ray, audiology, diabetes education, and physical therapy. The tribe decided to build the St. Ignatius Community Health Clinic, which has expanded its services so locals can receive care in their community and don’t have to drive to nearby Missoula for basic medical care. As a result of this project, the clinic has also been able to hire 150 more medical professionals on the reservation and start programs and services they couldn’t house before this facility was built.
Initially, the project was divided into several phases: Hazardous materials cleanup before construction, preparation and demolition of a section of the existing structure, constructing a new building, and remodeling of the existing structure.
During the last phase, the owner secured additional funding, nearly doubling the money they had to work with. They included it in the project, which posed many new design challenges for the team but delivered a better building than expected.
Client
MMW Architecture
Location
St. Ignatius, Montana
Award
Montana ACEC Engineering Excellence Award
Services & Highlights
-
Mechanical engineering
-
Electrical engineering
-
Plumbing design
-
Fire protection engineering
-
Civil engineering
-
Survey
The project remodeled a 1960s-era facility. When funding was secured midway through the project, the team was able to create a new addition as well.
Dentistry is just one example of services that are now available at the clinic.
The new waiting room.
Tight Spaces and Tight Budgets
Due to budget constraints, many design decisions were made based on the very few affordable options available. Originally, the existing building was served by a 30,000-gallon propane tank 100 yards away, and the owner’s preference was to eliminate the propane. Morrison-Maierle conducted an energy study to determine which system and energy source would be most effective. Since there is no natural gas service in the area, the only options were propane and electricity.
Because of the extremely low electric rate (due to Kerr Dam and its utility benefit to the community), Mission Valley users have rates that are both low and stable compared to the rest of the state. Propane, on the other hand, had very high and unstable prices. The new design removed all propane from the building, except for a generator to back up critical electrical loads for the clinic and protect its equipment.
The new portion of the building was easier because the team designed it to standard height and up to code. However, the existing building’s low ceilings provided a unique challenge. Morrison-Maierle’s team came up with a solution to place Remote Terminal Units (RTUs) on the roof, run ductwork through new chases to the crawlspace, and utilize the large crawlspace under most of the existing building, which would serve the clinic space below.
The team also used air-source heat pumps and electric backup for the rooftop unit. These units incorporate variable air volume and electric reheat. As a result, there is no need for boilers and chillers as they have packaged DX Cooling with digital scroll compressors and SCR electric heat to maintain a constant discharge air temperature. Both the remodeled and the new portions of the building are highly efficient in terms of heating and cooling.
Designed to Stay Open During Construction
Finally, because this project was done in phases, Morrison-Maierle had to ensure certain areas of the clinic remained operational, as it did not have another temporary location to move into during construction. The design team decided that, to keep the facility operational, the new RTU was one of the first things installed in the new portion of the facility, and it was used in the existing portion of the building during reconstruction.
Meet the Team
Related Projects
Intermountain Health West End Clinic
Billings, Montana
The new Intermountain Health’s West End Clinic brings comprehensive care to one of the fastest-growing areas of Billings.
SCL Health Lockwood Clinic
Billings, Montana
SCL Health Lockwood Clinic, in partnership with the school district can now provide the community with primary care services 365 days a year.
Immanuel Lutheran Communities
Kalispell, Montana
With core values of compassion, excellence, respect, integrity, and stewardship, Immanuel Lutheran Communities (ILC) provides care for the aging through their Immanuel Lutheran Home facility.