Designing Mechanical Systems for Resilent and Sustainable Healthcare

In this episode of BSA by Design podcast, host Brian Moore interviews Kevin McNutt, an engineering planning principal at BSA, about designing mechanical systems for resilient and sustainable healthcare facilities. McNutt, who has nearly twenty years of experience as a licensed PE, discusses how engineering for healthcare isn't just technical but also an art that requires balancing multiple stakeholder needs and opinions. He shares insights from a complex patient tower project that involved untangling existing systems while expanding campus utilities and coordinating around immense structural challenges. The conversation covers key industry challenges including labor shortages, retiring workforce knowledge, cost pressures, and the balance between sustainability and resiliency. McNutt emphasizes the importance of prefabrication strategies, true collaboration across disciplines, and the need to look beyond immediate costs to lifecycle considerations. He also discusses how AI and technology will likely help address workforce gaps while maintaining the irreplaceable value of human experience and historical knowledge in healthcare facility design.