DC Convention Center Alternate Care Facility

Coffman provided fire protection engineering and code consulting services for the temporary DC Convention Center Alternate Care Facility. The project included the reconfiguration of 477,000 sf of an existing convention hall into a temporary hospital facility to care for COVID-19 patients. The Alternate Care Facility included the design of 1,448 patient beds and all associated support functions. The design and construction was completed rapidly in four weeks and a total of 146,000 sf was constructed to date.

Specific services included code analysis related to change of occupancy to healthcare requirements, preparation of life safety drawings, design and construction oversight of sprinkler system and fire alarm system modifications, and construction site visits to ensure code compliance. Coffman worked closely with Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) officials throughout this unique project and prepared over 50 successful code modification requests documenting code equivalency for the temporary hospital configuration.