Award

FEBRUA RY 2018 | 73 Teck Acute Care Centre (TACC) – BC Children's and BC Women's Hospital and Health Centre PHOTOGRAPHY BY ED WHITE/COURTESY HDR ARCHITECTURE ASSOCIATES, INC. Teck Acute Care Centre (TACC) – BC Children's and BC Women's Hospital and Health Centre by ROBIN BRUNET S un-filled, colourful, peaceful, won- drous: these are not descriptions traditionally associated with a hos- pital experience, but they are essential to the care of children – and therefore a major consideration in the creation of the new Teck Acute Care Centre (TACC) at the BC Children's Hospital and BC Women's Hospital campus. Opened in October of 2017, the eight-storey facility was planned and designed with extraordinary detail by the BC Children's and BC Women's Hospitals, the joint partnership of HDR Architecture Associates, Inc. and ZGF Architects, clinicians, surgeons, and patient families, in order to care for women, children and families in a com- forting environment. The facility also provides the latest medical services via medical/surgical in-patient units, medical imaging, pro- cedural suites, a hematology/oncology/ bone marrow transplant department, a pediatric intensive care unit, a neona- tal intensive care unit, high-risk labour and delivery suite, eight floors of clinical space including 231 private inpatient rooms and 87 outpatient exam beds, and many other components. The needs of patients and families are also addressed; they have access to laundry facilities, lounges and dining rooms, play areas, resource rooms, and exterior roof gardens. The TACC opening marks the com- pletion of the second phase of the BC Children's and BC Women's redevelop- ment project – a three-phase, multi-year initiative (the third phase consists of relocating Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children and the addition of maternity- care spaces at BC Women's Hospital). Troy Ransdell, VP, healthcare, for HDR points out that the LEED Gold P3 project participants adhered to a thick volume of carefully-considered requirements, right down to preferred colours and materials. "We came on board just after the Christmas of 2013, and we ultimately spent more time consulting with user groups and clini- cal and administrative staff than in any other health care project," he says. The TACC was developed accord- ing to a fast-track schedule. "We were doing everything at once; meeting with the experts and designing at the same time," says Ransdell. With patient well-being always of paramount importance, it was decided early on that the exterior of the build- ing had to be stepped down in order to make it less intimidating. This was achieved in part with the creation of five roof gardens for therapeutic use. A three-part wood canopy was also developed to impart a warm ambiance along the main entrance. It was also decided that each area of the 640,000-square-foot building would be modelled after a different part of B.C., thus giving children and their families a sense of being at home. "The open space strategy reinforces this theme," says Ken Larsson, principal for Connect Landscape Architecture Inc. "For example, the ground level for- est floor was characterized by moss, ferns, Vine Maple, and wild ginger. The theme lightens with each level so that the upper roof gardens have a mountain meadow, more grass- land appearance." Given that access to nature is linked to overall health and wellness, Larsson and associate, Oren Mizrahi, incorporated the principles of nature and garden into their work. Natural light penetration was a crucial design component. "Big, wide windows are a main feature of the building envelope, and all the human spaces for staff and patients were pushed towards the exterior of the building as much as possible," says Ransdell. "In these spaces, we opened up the rear walls with glazing in order for natural light to further penetrate inside." Internal courtyards bring yet more light to the interior lower levels. Other examples of designing to promote comfort and peace include: a virtual aquarium wall in the new emergency department that covers the entire wall, allowing children to interact with animated marine crea- tures through physical gestures; colourful murals decorating long cor- ridors leading to operating rooms and other hospital areas; and hundreds of twinkling LED lights in the ceilings of medical procedure rooms, recreat- ing the night sky over Vancouver and showing major constellations. Attention to detail was forensic, for example, it was determined that doors to rooms be made of sliding glass, and doors between hospital units should be opened by waving a hand to minimize risks of viral or bacterial transmission. Two wings of the 74-year-old Shaughnessy building at the site were demolished in 2014 to make room for the new structure after hazmat abatement had been completed; con- struction commenced in the winter of that year by the Affinity Partnerships consortium and the CHW Design Build GP, a partnership with Ledcor and Balfour Beatty Construction; in April of 2016, a crew of over 680 had completed the final structural concrete, and work shifted to the exterior walls and win- dows as well as interior spaces. Sean Lawler, mechanical engi- neer for AEI/Affiliated Engineers, Inc., says his firm used Revit to deliver the mechanical, plumbing, and tech com- ponents plus a small energy transfer plant – with everything designed according to post disaster require- ments. "We used an advanced heat recovery systems to achieve an abso- lute energy target," he says. "Our expertise was also required for the engineering design of six pandemic outbreak control suites, plus the hospi- tal required emergency water storage, diesel fuel storage, a three lane mass decontamination shower facility – the list of post disaster requirements was extensive. It was a massive project, and we as well as Ledcor and Balfour relied heavily on Revit and BIM." As for the landscaping and walk- ways surrounding the building, Mizrahi says, "This is a big building shoehorned into a tight site. Our chal- lenge was to integrate with the site, reinforce connections, and create areas of respite." Now that the Teck Acute Care Centre is operational, Ransdell takes a moment to consider what was achieved. "This is a classic case of col- laboration between all parties being vital to a successful outcome," he says. "We enjoyed a terrific partnership with the hospital staff and ZGF Architects, as well as the people at Connect Landscape. Ledcor and Balfour used all of their expertise to meet truly onerous deadlines, and the final outcome is a facility that I think sets a new standard for child care in Canada." A LOCATION 4480 Oak Street, Vancouver, B.C. DEVELOPER Affinity Partnerships ARCHITECT HDR Architecture Associates, Inc. / ZGF Architects LLP DBFM CONTRACTOR Ledcor Design Build (Ledcor Group) / Balfour Beatty Construction STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT Magnusson Klemencic Associates MECHANICAL/INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CONSULTANT AEI/Affiliated Engineers, Inc. ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT (POWER DISTRIBUTION, LIGHTING AND FIRE ALARM SYSTEM) SMP Engineering LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Connect Landscape Architecture Inc. TOTAL SIZE 640,000 square feet TOTAL COST $676 million

• Cover