The completion of highly anticipated renovations and an additional building at the site of the Chilliwack General Hospital (CGH) will be finished by the end of this year. Once complete, the CGH will have a new emergency and laboratory building along with a completely renovated ambulatory care facility.
Originally published in the Spring 2010 print edition of the Sheet Metal Journal
These upgrades will modernize and improve the physical environment of these crucial areas of the hospital. Service and flow will be improved, and Chilliwack residents will have faster access to care.
Ridge Sheet Metal Co. of Port Coquitlam is the contractor for the sheet metal and ventilation work at the CGH. A team of six to eight workers installed components in the new two-story building, and stripped and replaced ducts in the existing building, which is approximately 80 years old.
Ridge Sheet Metal installed galvanized sheet metal with some stainless steel for the laboratory fume hood exhaust. “It’s all been standard practice,” says project manager Daniel Beer, who along with his team, has worked on several hospitals in BC, including the Lions Gate Hospital, the Royal Columbian Hospital, Eagle Ridge, St. Paul’s, and others.
“Name a hospital and we’ve been in it,” says Beer of hospital projects. “With advancing technology and expansion needs, hospital projects provide an ongoing market.”
Restorative work in any hospital setting requires working around occupants of the building. “We provide air distribution into spaces that are quite sensitive. The cleanliness of the duct work is critical as we merge into an existing system that may be very old,” says Beer.
At CGH it took eight separate phases to allow the hospital to remain operational. Another challenge is maintaining scheduling dates when surprises lurk above ceilings and inside walls.
“The use of insulation and sealers containing asbestos was common in the past. Before the old ceilings and walls get demolished, we don’t know the extent of it.”
Depending on the amount of asbestos removal required, schedules may slip. That can make it tough to deliver the space by the anticipated dates.
Because hospitals remain operational while construction takes place, hospital staff and patients have to move around and surrender space so contractors can complete their work.
“The scheduling is really intricate. The project is subject to infection control regulation, restricting access into certain rooms. There are operations happening at all times. Working in an environment with these limitations creates another set of challenges,” says Beer.
Renovating a hospital also requires working in between many existing mechanical services. There are pipes, telecommunications, electrical, and other specialty services to fit in, making it a tight squeeze for the comparatively large ventilation ducts.
“In the old building there were a lot of services added over the years as technology evolved. The space for the mechanical elements is very congested,” says Beer, adding that co-operation with other trades is crucial; something the company strives for. Working with qualified tradesmen who take ownership of their jobs is what makes a project successful. Since there can be conflicts between disciplines born from lack of space or service collisions, communication is key to having things resolved on-site. “The competent men sit down and figure things out. It’s rewarding to see it all develop.”
After renovations, the CGH will have a greener ventilation system with heat recovery ventilation to conserve energy. “The hospital of course doesn’t recycle air; almost 100 percent of it comes from outside,” says Beer. New ventilation will help to reclaim heat out of exhausted air. Other green features of the hospital project include insulated duct work to conserve heat, and a portion of the roof of the new addition is a green roof.
Overall, Beer is pleased to be on board with the contractors working on the hospital’s highly anticipated add-ons. “With the team we have at Ridge we are proud we could contribute to the completion of the project.”
Contractors are working with a $35 million design-build contract that was approved in Feb. 2007 by the Regional Health District. Capital funding for the project comes from the Fraser Valley Regional Hospital District and the Fraser Valley Health Care Foundation. This is to be combined with a $5 million contribution from the Chilliwack Hospital and Health Care Foundation.
Five proponent teams responded to the request for qualifications that closed on Nov. 2007. Bird Construction Company, under direction from general contractor, Jesse McKellan, and CJP Architects got the job. MMM Group Inc., together with Alpha Mechanical, carried out the engineering design of the project.
Update: On Feb. 18, 2011 the community celebrated the completion of Chilliwack General Hospital’s (CGH) $35M redevelopment project on the hospital’s 100th anniversary.
COMPANY AT A GLANCE
Ridge Sheet Metal Co.
Where:
- 14,800 square-foot facility in Port Coquitlam, BC
Specializations:
- Fabrication and installation of HVAC ductwork systems in the ICI sector; Custom and production metal fabrications
Noteworthy projects:
- Abbotsford Agricultural Centre CL3 Lab, Hillcrest Olympic Stadium, Vascular Engineering Clean Rooms, Clowhom Hydro Power Houses, Surrey City Centre, One Kalakawa in Honolulu, Cricket Stadium in Bermuda
Associations:
- Signatory to the Standard Labor Agreement with Sheet Metal Workers Local 280, and SMACNA
Contact Ridge Sheet Metal at 604.942.0244
