Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/292860
courtesy Heartland HealtH region Biggar Long Term Health Facility by Bill Armstrong T he long-term care facility nearing completion in Biggar, Saskatchewan, is one of several such new facilities in the province. In this case, the new 54- bed, energy-efficient facility will be connected to the local hospital and replace a nursing home that was built in 1966 and renovated in 1983. Construction of the facility began in early fall 2012, fol- lowing extensive consultations with representatives of the owner/developer, the Heartland Health Region, staff members and people from the community. "Consultations were a big part of the process," says Jerald Peters, lead architect at ft3 Architecture Landscape Interior Design. "There were workshops for planning the building, determining its location, the size and number of rooms per household, and features of the indoor and outdoor spaces. These participants also made the final selections of colours and materials used." The one-storey building is connected to the west side of the existing hospital and provides a new main entrance to both facilities. The new building is configured into four households, each with 13 or 14 single rooms for residents. The design includes four "flex" rooms to accommodate bariatric patients, or perhaps married couples. The irregular floorplan means that each household has its own living, dining and kitchenette spaces. Breaking the space into four neighbourhoods also means the corridors are short, with clusters of rooms north and south of the central down- town, and feature a multifunction room/chapel, a clinic room, a café and a hair salon. The corridors leading to two other clusters angle out from the central area, creating arms that embrace a sheltered, landscaped outdoor space. "This bright and natural entry will be a dramatically different experience for visitors to most hospitals and care homes," Peters observes. "Immediately after they enter, visitors will face a glass wall that looks out into the landscaped courtyard. Staff will have a sheltered space in the courtyard and visitors will be able to enjoy the garden with residents." A sloped, prefinished metal roof and Hardie cement board siding give the building a residential appearance. Inside, Peters notes, durable materials such as sheet vinyl flooring and rigid vinyl wall panels used as wainscoting add to the residential look and feel, while also delivering low maintenance costs over the life of the building. The building is of steel and concrete construction, with a full sprinkler system. The planning process also included consultations related to sustainability targets. As a result, the design of the building envelope, mechanical, electrical and other systems were all planned with the targets in mind. The facility features a high-performance building envelope, in-floor heating, high-efficiency boilers, heat recovery ventilation and passive solar harvesting. Ted Cooke, the mechanical consultant for HDA Engineering Ltd., says that the condensing boiler plant produces low temperature water, which allows the Location 501 First Avenue North, Biggar, Saskatchewan owner/DeveLoper Heartland Health Region architect ft3 Architecture Landscape Interior Design GeneraL contractor EllisDon Corporation StructuraL conSuLtant Crosier Kilgour & Partners Ltd. MechanicaL conSuLtant HDA Engineering Ltd. eLectricaL conSuLtant Alfa Engineering Ltd. totaL area 54,570 square feet totaL coSt $22.8 million system to achieve condensing effi- ciencies year-round, regardless of Sas- katchewan's temperature extremes. The domestic hot water supply also operates on a condensing system. "The low temperature in-floor radiant heat- ing system used throughout the facility is generally more efficient than other heating systems, and provides occu- pants with more comfort," Cooke states. "In addition, the ventilation system uses an energy recovery system that trans- fers energy from the building's exhaust air to the incoming outside air sup- ply, reducing both heating and cooling costs." Cooke adds that variable frequency drives are incorporated on fans and pumps, which reduces the motor power required to meet off-peak as well as peak energy needs. "Based on model- ling," Cooke says, "the facility design will decrease energy usage for operating building systems at the Biggar facility by 45 per cent compared to an identi- cal reference building built to the model National Energy Code." EllisDon Corporation, general con- tractor for the project, began work on site in mid-October, 2012, just as a cold, snowy and very long winter was begin- ning. Weather conditions did affect construction, says EllisDon project man- ager Sam Salem, primarily during the installation of pilings and procedures for pouring concrete. Salem adds that careful planning ensured the hospital continued to oper- ate as usual, while construction was going on adjacent to it. "Throughout the entire process we have had good com- munications with client meetings every two weeks," says Salem. "The client representative has handled communi- cations with the stakeholders. We've also had weekly meetings with the subs and others, with communications passing through the site superintendent and the project manager." n April 2014 /71 Biggar long Term Health Facility Do you have a project of interest to our readers? If you would like your project to be considered for a future issue of Award, please email: Dan Chapman, Publisher dchapman@canadawide.com AWD Project Filler 1/16 v. gs AWD Project Filler 1-16v. gs 6/3/08 3:22 PM Page 1 p70-71_BiggarLTHF.indd 71 14-04-03 9:09 AM