Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/178290
.C.'s Sunshine Coast is relatively isolated. Though on the coastal mainland, the area is only accessible by air and ferry; there is no road to the rain-forested bit of paradise carved into the ocean-edge of the province. Sechelt, located on the Sunshine Coast, has been serviced by St. Mary's Hospital since the facility opened in 1963, but the hospital was last expanded about 20 years ago. Today, St. Mary's is undergoing a major renovation and expansion that will increase the number of acute care beds from 38 to 63. B and his company have been involved from the start, when the project was green-lit in 2007. "We led the design team with Perkins + Will Canada," says Farrow. "The original master plan we were given indicated additions on both the west and north side of the project, but we had to ask whether we should build on the west side, which is heavily treed. "It's a beautiful site, with forest on the west side and another treed area in the front between the site and the ocean," says Farrow from the company's Toronto headquarters. "There is to the coastal First Nations. We took inspiration from the bent-box, which holds our most precious possession – our health." Another architect working on the project was George Miu, a senior architect with Perkins + Will Canada Architects. He says that while no project is ever completed without a few hiccups along the way, the St. Mary's Hospital expansion is moving along very well. "It's a great team," says Miu. "The planning went smoothly and we are about halfway through construction of the new building. St. Mary's Hospital Expansion by Jerry Eberts The work is being carried out in three phases, says Don Jenion, senior project manager for Lower Mainland Facilities Management, the building and facilities arm of Vancouver Coastal Health. "The irst and second phases are related to the new expansion," says Jenion. "PCL Constructors Westcoast completed the irst phase, which consisted of site service and selected demolition. Phase two is about 65 per cent complete and is being carried out by Graham Construction. We hope to move into the new parts of the project in late September to mid-October 2012. Phase three consists of renovations to the existing hospital building. It will start when people have been moved into the new facility." Jenion says the St. Mary's Hospital renovation and new construction is the largest project on the Sunshine Coast at the moment. "The public has great interest in this project," he says. "The new and renovated hospital will have a profound effect when it has been completed. Residents here have waited years for this." Tye Farrow, senior partner with Farrow Partnership Architects Inc., says he 74/ APRIL 2012 p.74-75St. Mary's_Central 1.indd 74 a First Nations group in the area and a variety of historic totems. We realized we should consolidate the work into one block, rather than distinct buildings, partly because there is sacred value to the land on the west side." Creating a new entrance and lobby that leads into the newer parts of the project, Farrow and the team wanted to "build on indigenous themes and take advantage of the natural beauty. We lifted the building higher and the upper loors now have beautiful views to the water." Farrow says the lobby "soars on the east front. At the intersection of the two wings, there is a closed veranda off the stairs and a totally glazed gathering area, with a roof terrace – a combined community area." The roofs are environmentally sound – as is the entire LEED Gold project – adorned with large patterns based on First Nations designs. The lobby also boasts a large mural inspired by First Nations imagery. "The theme of the building," says Farrow, "is the cedar bent-box, unique "We had a couple of changes in scope, which meant the planning phase took longer than expected. One reason for the changes in the plans was a decision to make all the rooms single-occupancy. But it has been an interesting process." How interesting? Vancouver Coastal Health rented a helicopter hangar, says Miu, and the crew constructed easily moved walls of plywood to explore design options and see how various layouts worked. "We were able to make adjustments to our plans by seeing how best to guide patients through the process, from reception through each service. We ended up with an intuitive plan that makes great sense from the point of view of patients and people working in the hospital," says Miu. "It was a very interesting exercise for us. We all played parts as patients, lying on stretchers and being moved around." Roland Shuttleworth, operations manager for Graham Construction and Engineering of Calgary, says the project has been going well. "Hospitals tend to be intricate projects," says Shuttleworth. "And renovations can be tricky; starting from scratch can be easier. A renovation project takes better planning because you don't have the time to react quickly." As far as the location being somewhat remote – everything has to be brought in via BC Ferries – Shuttleworth says, "the preplanning was excellent. It does take longer to get items there and we had to plan assemblies because of load and size restrictions on the ferry." Ian Boyle, an associate with Fast + Epp, was in charge of structural design, including the tie-in between the two buildings. "There is some minor work on the old building, but we have focused for the most part on the newer building," says Boyle. "One important aspect of the work was meeting post-disaster requirements. The hospital has to be able to cope with ire, rainstorms and earthquakes. Our plans were pushed because of that." As with so much construction today, the St. Mary's Hospital expansion is a very green project. The structure sits atop 112 bore-holes "to provide natural, available energy in the ground for both heating and cooling," says Roshan Fernando, a senior mechanical engineer with Vancouver-based Cobalt Engineering. "The building will get most of its energy this way, which is much more ef icient than the standby boilers and cooling tower that are also on site. The geothermal system saves a lot of energy and a lot of money." "B.C. is a leader in supporting green building technology," says architect Tye Farrow. "We expect this to be the irst carbon-neutral hospital in North America." ■ LOCATION 5544 Sunshine Coast Highway Sechelt, B.C. OWNER/DEVELOPER Vancouver Coastal Health Authority ARCHITECT Farrow Partnership Architects Inc. ARCHITECT Perkins + Will Canada Architects GENERAL CONTRACTOR Graham Construction & Engineering STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT Fast + Epp MECHANICAL CONSULTANT Cobalt Engineering ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT Acumen Engineering CIVIL CONSULTANT Stantec Consulting Ltd. INTERIOR DESIGN Farrow Partnership Architects Perkins + Will Canada Architects TOTAL AREA 150,000 square feet TOTAL CONSTRUCTION COST $30,500,000 TOTAL PROJECT COST $43,650,000 St. Mary's Hospital Expansion 3/26/12 2:36:25 PM