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In mid-October, a mysterious 120’ long by 72’ wide white Quonset hut appeared on the Southwest corner of the current hospital’s property.
We’ve heard a lot of theories about what’s inside the hut… ranging from a storage shed, to a greenhouse, to the set for the next Dexter sequel, to showrooms, to a laboratory. We can confirm that only one of those theories is somewhat accurate and it is showrooms.
Although, the Quonset hut isn’t exactly a traditional showroom as you would think, with brand new shiny pieces of medical equipment and an exact replica of the entire new hospital inside. But – it is constructed rooms with life-size replicas and mock-ups of key areas of the new hospital that we are showing to select groups.
Now you might be wondering, what’s the purpose of installing the Quonset hut? Well, it’s a key component of the ongoing design process and will remain in place until 100% of the design is complete.
Who is able to access the Quonset hut? Only select groups of physicians and health care staff are able to access the hut, which we refer to as “the users”. The users represent their areas of expertise and are selected or appointed to participate in the ongoing design process. The Quonset hut is not open to the public. We understand that you are curious to see what the design of the new hospital will look like. We can assure you that when we’re able to share more details about the design with the public, we will. Stay tuned!
How does the ongoing design process work? It’s broken down into four phases – the 30%, 60%, 95% and 100% design submissions. In September, we received and reviewed the 30% design submission from the Design-Builder. Prior to approving the submission, the Design-Builder delivered the first mock-up in a virtual format with 3D drawings of key areas to help the users visualize features of the rooms and provide relevant feedback. We are now progressing towards the 60% design submission.
On November 14 and 15, the users were guided through the hut for the second series of mock-ups to experience certain design features of each room. The users’ feedback will be incorporated in the 60% design submission.
This mock-up has fully constructed walls with 1:1 prints of elements of the room covering the walls and floors – such as millwork, services, furniture and equipment, IMIT device locations, and power and data receptacle locations.
The rooms included in the second mock-up are:
Labour, delivery, recovery and post-partum room
Nursing station
Medication room
Soiled utility room
Exam room
Emergency – Resuscitation/trauma room
Emergency – Exam/treatment room
Medical in-patient bedroom and washroom
Typical patient room
In-patient bariatric room
Isolation room
Anteroom
The next step in the ongoing design process is the Design-Builder submitting the 60% design submission with feedback from recent User Consultation Meetings and the second mock-up being incorporated. When the project team reviews the 60% design submission, the Design-Builder will begin working towards the 95% design submission.
During the next design phase (60-95%), a third mock-up will be constructed inside the Quonset hut which will build on details from the second and include actual materials and finishes.
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People in Dawson Creek and area are one step closer to a new hospital now that a preferred proponent has been selected for the design phase.
“The selection of the team that will design the new hospital means another important milestone has been reached for people in the region,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “The new and bigger facility will deliver public health-care services to people in the South Peace for decades to come.”
The three proponents shortlisted for the Design Early Works Agreement (DEWA) were:
Clark Builders-Turner-HDR Architecture;
SBW-Kinetic-Wright Construction with KRA and Gibbs Gage Architects; and
Graham Design Builders and Diamond Schmitt Architects Inc.
As a result of the evaluation process, in co-ordination with Northern Health and Infrastructure BC, Clark Builders-Turner-HDR Architecture was selected.
A request for proposals for the DEWA was issued to the teams on March 16, 2021. A DEWA is a contractual agreement between the design-builder and Northern Health, which starts the design phase for the new hospital.
The next step is the Design-Build Agreement request for proposals. This involves Clark Builders-Turner-HDR Architecture submitting design and cost proposals to Northern Health for the new hospital.
Execution of the Design-Build Agreement is anticipated to take place in 2022 and construction to begin shortly after. The hospital is expected to be ready for patients in 2026.
The new building will be approximately 19,400 square metres (209,000 square feet) and have 70 beds, which is an increase of 24. The emergency department will also increase in size, with treatment spaces increasing from 10 to 15.
As well, the new facility will continue to provide a range of surgical services as well as chemotherapy, ambulatory care, radiology, clinical support and pharmacy services.
There will also be space for a laboratory and diagnostic imaging, and a perinatal unit including labour, delivery, recovery and post-partum rooms and a nursery to support new parents and families. Mental health service delivery will be brought up to modern standards with a new inpatient suite and an increase of beds from 15 to 18.
The new hospital will be located on the territory of Treaty 8 First Nations. Local First Nations will be consulted throughout the project to ensure culturally appropriate spaces are available, which will also include a non-denominational spiritual room for use by people of all cultures and faiths.
The project budget is $377.86 million and will be shared by the provincial government, through Northern Health, and the Peace River Regional Hospital District, which will contribute $150.2 million. The existing hospital will remain operational during the construction of the new hospital.
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from the Ministry of Health
People in Dawson Creek and the surrounding region are one step closer to a modern hospital, as three candidates have been shortlisted for the request for proposals (RFP).
“People in Dawson Creek are closer to having a preferred proponent to design and build the new Dawson Creek and district hospital,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “This announcement means people and families are closer to seeing what the hospital will look like, to construction starting and to the new hospital opening for patients.”
Northern Health requested and received proposals from four vendors, of which three were shortlisted. The proponents for this stage of the procurement process, the design-early works agreement (DEWA), are:
Clark Builders-Turner-HDR Architecture;
SBW-Kinetic-Wright Construction with KRA and Gibbs Gage Architects; and
Graham Design Builders and Diamond Schmitt Architects Inc.
An RFP for the DEWA was issued to the shortlisted teams on March 16, 2021. At the end of the RFP process, one proponent will be selected. That proponent is expected to be announced this fall.
