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J UNE 2019 | 53 David E. Kampe Tower – Penticton Regional Hospital PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY INTERIOR HEALTH AUTHORITY; RENDERINGS COURTESY PARKIN ARCHITECTS LIMITED David E. Kampe Tower – Penticton Regional Hospital by LAURIE JONES O n April 29, 2019, residents of Penticton and surrounding areas celebrated the long anticipated opening of the David E. Kampe Tower at the Penticton Regional Hospital in B.C. The six-storey, state-of-the-art building features 84 single patient rooms with private washrooms, five operating the- atres, satellite medical imaging, and a rooftop helipad. "The opening was a very well- co-ordinated effort as we moved 65 patients from the existing hospital to the new facility. It was very exciting," says Brent Kruschel, chief project offi- cer, Interior Health Authority. "In the old facility, the majority of the patient rooms had four beds so having single bed patient rooms, with heated floors, will be a big improvement." The construction formally began in April 2016, but planning for the new tower started in 2012, he adds. "Construction of the new facility was overdue with growth in the area. The expansion of the community and surrounding areas warranted the addi- tional capacity that the tower brings. But it's not just about capacity, it's about meeting today's standard of care for the citizens in the region. The new facility will also have a medical library, clinical skills room, and additional con- ference and meeting spaces available. This is part of an ongoing partnership between the UBC Faculty of Medicine and health authorities across B.C." Kruschel explains the medical imag- ing suite is one of the highlights of the project. "There is a state-of-the-art MRI, a brand-new mammography unit, and a SPECT CT imaging unit. The majority of funding for this equipment has been generously provided by David Kampe." Jeffrey Whynot, senior associ- ate and intern architect at Parkin Architects Limited, says the three-sto- rey glass atrium entry to the tower is the public face of the new entrance to the hospital. John MacSween, director at Parkin Architects, adds: "The glass atrium entry is a significant showpiece, particularly when you are trying to put an addition on a building that was built in pieces over many decades. "Information about an existing building can be limited, and in this case almost nonexistent, so we had a few sur- prises as we began to dig a hole beside the existing building. At the end of the day, it's like trying to fit another piece into a Rubik's cube. Because the hospital operations are ongoing 24/7, the whole process was even more difficult." MacSween says in order to dampen both the noise and the vibration from 9:23 AM 12:48 PM

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