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D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 2 | 61 Eagle Ridge Hospital Expansion P H OTO G R A P H Y BY LU C A S F I N L AY/CO U RT E S Y K A S I A N A RC H I T EC T U R E EAGLE RIDGE HOSPITAL EXPANSION by ROBIN BRUNET T he needs may vary, but hospital expansions are almost always driven by the growth of the communities they serve, the expan- sion of the Eagle Ridge Hospital in Port Moody, B.C., is no exception. Sarah Thorn, manager, planning and projects, facilities management at Fraser Health Authority, says, "Port Moody's growth has been explo- sive over the past decade, so to say we needed more space and services would be an understatement." Indeed, according to the provin- cial health ministry, when Eagle Ridge Hospital opened in 1984 its emergency department had about 20,000 patients yearly, and that number now stands at more than 50,000 annually. Phase 1 of the project was dedi- cated to prepping the site for all the changes. While the expansion of the emergency department was one of the key elements of the update, there were several projects to complete to lay the groundwork. This included real- locating the Health Information and Cardiology departments and creating a new Community Outpatient Services department. These changes provided space for the emergency department to grow. Phase 2 of the expansion focused on Eagle Ridge's emergency department and was designed to accommodate current and future vol- umes of patients. Kasian Architecture created new separate entrances for walk-in patients and ambulances, a redesigned registration and triage area to improve privacy and patient flow, and a designated separate area for patients with mental health and substance use support needs. This portion of the build provided clini- cal space for patient care to move into while the second part of phase 2 was being renovated. Renovations to the existing emer- gency department followed. This included a designated area for decontamination of hazardous mate- rials to help prevent the spread of contaminants, complete with a decon- tamination suite with airlock features, and a separate entrance for improved safety; four new isolation rooms for people with infectious illnesses; two new resuscitation areas to increase care spaces for trauma patients; and additional hand washing stations to help reduce the risk of infection. Upon completion the staff was able to utilize the entire footprint. Shawn Martin, senior project manager at Kasian Architecture, says, "A great deal of consultation and co-ordination was required to make all of this happen, with clear communication between us and stakeholders, staff, and even a patient public representative. "We were also bound to create the expansion within the existing footprint of the hospital, which was another significant challenge." The changes on site required thought- ful consideration on the impacts of hospital access, parking changes, along with signage and wayfinding considerations. A lot of discussion between stake- holders and Kasian Architecture pertained to bringing the outside in, using evidence-based design princi- ples, a common design objective but one particularly difficult to achieve – apart from maximizing glazing wher- ever possible, which was the case with Eagle Ridge – without compromis- ing the sterile conditions of a hospital. Martin says, "A sense of outdoors was achieved by using colours that mim- icked nature, selecting appropriate artwork, and using interior glass pan- els to give a sense of openness." A major aspect of the expan- sion was Kasian making extensive use of prefab integrated wall pan- els, which were manufactured off site and brought to the hospital complete with behind-the-wall components such as medical gas lines, electrical, and cabling. "The main advantage of these panels besides saving construc- tion time is accessibility," Martin says. "You can get into these walls easily, as opposed to having to cut away drywall in traditional walls." Lighting played a key role in mak- ing the emergency department as LOCATION 475 Guildford Way, Port Moody, B.C. OWNER /DEVELOPER Fraser Health Authority ARCHITECT Kasian Architecture GENER AL CONTR ACTOR Halse-Martin Construction Co. Ltd. MECHANICAL /ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT SNC-Lavalin Group TOTAL SIZE 2,206 square metres TOTAL COST $38 million

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