Designing Cable Infrastructure for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Hatfield Clinical Research Center

Successful modern healthcare research necessitates leading edge technology capabilities.  In order for the National Institutes of Health to maintain its position as the world’s leading healthcare research agency, it must leverage technology experts like Vision Technologies.  In partnership with Balfour Beatty, Vision delivered a significant portion of the communication infrastructure required for operational success.  

Vision designed and provided a comprehensive cable infrastructure system for the Mark O. Hatfield Clinical Research Center at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) building. Approximately 687 miles of communications cable link the CRC to the other NIH buildings. Inside the CRC, the plant infrastructure provides the network for inpatient and outpatient hospital stations, scientific labs and offices located inside the four wings and science court. The campus backbone enters the building through manholes and is converted to riser cabling in the main telecommunications room. The Category 6 UTP cable and SM/MM fiber run up 8 floors of mechanical and office space passing through 23 telecommunication rooms.  

The outside plant cabling system provided the crucial link from the CRC to the other campus buildings. The campus backbone is made up of copper and fiber cables that carry biomedical findings from the CRC labs to adjacent buildings through an existing underground tunnel system. A redundant OSP system was installed.  Both pathways pass through several cable vaults and use a Sumitomo air-blown fiber optic tube system. The outside-plant cable runs involve distances of from 400 to 3,600 feet, with splicing performed as manufacturer and industry specifications dictate.

The project was completed in sections determined by beneficial use dates established in the fast-track construction project schedule. The completed 8-floor structure of 1.5 million square feet includes 234 beds for inpatient care and 68 day hospital stations for outpatient care as well as mechanical and office space.

Vision’s services included cable plant design, CAD (computer-aided design) illustration, cable routing, patch panel and punch block installation; cable termination, cable testing, and labeling.