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FEBRUA RY 2018 | 71 St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital Redevelopment Project RENDERING COURTESY INFRASTRUCTURE ONTARIO St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital Redevelopment Project by NATALIE BRUCKNER-MENCHELLI S ince it was first built back in 1954, the St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital (STEGH) has undergone multiple expansions due to contin- ued overcrowding pressures. Today, with the city of St. Thomas in Ontario having an estimated population of around 40,000 and advancements con- tinuously being made in medical care, treatments, computerization and tech- nology, it made sense to invest once again in this much beloved facility. "The existing building was outdated and the departments were restricted in size. New space was needed in order to provide a modernized care experi- ence, while improving workflows and operational efficiencies," says Nancy Whitmore, STEGH president and CEO. It was time to upgrade, and upgrade it has. The $98.3-million, three-storey, 106,000-square-foot addition on the northwest side of the hospital is the single largest infrastructure invest- ment in STEGH's 63-year history. The project included limited renova- tions to the existing facility corridors on the ground level, a brand new emer- gency department, surgical suites, medical devices reprocessing depart- ment, an acute mental health unit with 15 inpatient beds and ambulatory ser- vices, and an ambulance garage. The addition will be connected to the existing hospital on three levels by a public corridor link and a new one- storey direct link between the new emergency department and the existing diagnostic and imaging department. When the project began in the Fall/ Winter of 2015 it happened to be warm and wet, "which worked against us and we fell two months behind schedule coming out of the ground. But we were quickly able to recover that time with the superstructure," says Brent Day, project manager at EllisDon. As the hospital was still in opera- tion during construction, "we had to be very mindful of noise and vibrations caused by construction. To that end we had vibration monitoring equipment set up in sensitive areas of the existing facility to monitor this and ensure no impact to existing equipment. Infection control and cleanliness were also of utmost importance," says Day. When it came to the design, "a key objective was to create an addition that the community will embrace and be proud of," says Santiago Kunzle from Montgomery Sisam Architects, who worked in joint venture with Kahler Slater, a global award-winning firm with strong acute care expertise. The cladding, which is a combina- tion of brick, stone and wood patterned phenolic panels, project a non-institu- tional and inviting image. It was also important to ensure the new addition would complement but not mimic the existing building. "The brick cladding is a nod to the existing building, but there is a subtle difference in the brick tone. The addition is resolved with a clear geometric language like the existing building, but the massing composition and language is more contemporary. The interface between the two build- ings is delicately and respectfully resolved via a glazed link," says Kunzle. Joining the new and old buildings required careful consideration. "We have a tunnel and walkway connection to the existing building. The existing building floor-to-floor height was insuf- ficient to allow for the required ceiling space to accommodate the substantial mechanical and electrical infrastruc- ture necessary, which made matching this with the addition complex. So we used slightly sloped floors for the link to get to where we wanted to be," adds Jennifer Watson at RJC Engineers. Matching the ground and third lev- els of the existing hospital, skipping the second level, and introducing the glazed link with low sloped floors also helped tie the buildings together. A stair tower that projects in front of the elevation facing the street acts as a beacon and is topped by a large illu- minated window that can be seen from the distance. The entrance of the new addition plays homage to the hospital's historical entrance, which was abandoned due to accessibility issues, and a generous drop- off area protected by a glazed canopy and accented with limestone cladding highlights the separate entrances to the Emergency Department and the Mental Health and Surgical departments. Inside, clean and contemporary lines greet you as you walk into the waiting area. Wood grain panels, wood grain accented ceilings and glazing act as nat- ural wayfinding features throughout the building. Up on the second floor you find the surgical suites and the third floor is dedicated to mental health. "There will be separate elevators for sterile equipment to go to surgery, separate access for soiled materials to be removed, and elevators dedicated for patients and visitors. This will greatly improve the flow of traffic and reduce infection rates," says Michaela MacPherson, communications advisor at Infrastructure Ontario. Due to the nature of STEGH, careful co-ordination was also necessary when it came to the electrical and mechanical systems, which was the responsibility of Chorley + Bisset Consulting Engineers. A separate mechanical plant out- building has been constructed to service the existing facility and the redevel- opment, which will be connected via underground trenches to both the new addition and the existing facility. "The mechanical systems include air handling systems, a new medical gas system, several hydronic distri- bution systems in the penthouse, and a new building control system fully integrated into the existing building control system," says Robert Gordon from Chorley + Bisset. "A smoke con- trol system was implemented for the critical care areas. Electrical systems include new utility service, 100 percent generator power and central UPS sys- tems for IT and critical infrastructure systems. The integrated communi- cations systems included a real time locating system, access control, CCTV, nurse call and distributed antenna system. Data cabling consisted of a cat- egory 6A horizontal distribution with a single mode fibre cable backbone." This careful attention to detail con- tinues outside with the landscaping. "Drought tolerant and native plant species were used where possible, however it was sometimes necessary to provide non native species that meet the criteria of the space such as Yews. Shaded spaces maintain moisture bet- ter than in full sun and therefore this plant material would not require irri- gation," says Martha Berkvens from Ron Koudys Landscape Architects. Using the LEED credit system the design presented environmental challenges to obtain a sustainable land- scape, and so high-reflective concrete surfaces were used alongside drought tolerant turf. In conclusion, Whitmore says: "These new facilities will help us deliver the healthcare that our fami- lies and friends deserve during each visit, at every stage of life, and as close to home as possible. They will equip our hospital with the advanced medi- cal equipment and design innovation of 21st-century care." A LOCATION 189 Elm St, St. Thomas, Ontario OWNER/DEVELOPER Infrastructure Ontario / STEGH ARCHITECT (JV) Montgomery Sisam Architects / Kahler Slater, Inc. GENERAL CONTRACTOR EllisDon STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT RJC Engineers MECHANICAL/ ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT Chorley + Bisset Consulting Engineers LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Ron Koudys Landscape Architects Inc. TOTAL SIZE 106,000 square feet TOTAL COST $98.3 million 1:19 PM 9:14 AM 9:23 AM 1:25 PM

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