Project profile: Corner Brook Acute Care Hospital

Project Profile

Corner Brook Acute Care Hospital

Newfoundland and Labrador is getting a new $750 million state-of-the-art hospital, and it’s not where you might think: Corner Brook – a city of roughly 32,000 people on the island’s west coast – has been waiting for well over a decade for their new hospital and its finally happening .

Planning for the project began in 2007 . After years of political promises and planning, the hospital is expected to open in late 2023 . The province selected a site in September 2009 and, by fall of 2010, it was assumed construction would begin sometime in 2012 . Through this process, planning, re-planning, involvement of multiple consulting firms and the leadership of five premiers (and now a sixth), construction was delayed . In 2013 the province instructed a team to proceed with design and preliminary work on both the hospital and an attached care home . In 2015, the instruction was to refocus on the hospital only . Ultimately, political changes led to further delays and alternative planning .

Two teams were prequalified to submit proposals to design, build, finance and maintain the facility . The final stage of the procurement process kicked off in January 2018 . After 17 months, in June 2019, the Corner Brook Health Partnership was selected as the preferred proponent . The successful team consists largely of Plenary Group, PCL, Marco Services, Parkin Architects Limited, John Hearn Architect, Johnson Controls, among others . The second team, with the ultimately unsuccessful bid was the Atlantic Healthcare Partnership, led by Sacyr Concesiones of Spain and DIF infra of the Netherlands, both of which have offices in Toronto . Atlantic Healthcare Partnership also included Canadian design firms, Allied Construction Management of St . John’s and Brook Construction (2007) of Corner Brook .

The new 600,000 SF facility comprises seven storeys and 164 beds . Once complete, the hospital will be connected to a $120 million, 145-bed, long-term care home that began construction in 2017 and was completed this past February .

www.plenarygroup.com/projects/americas/corner-brook-acute-care-hospital

www.plenarygroup.com/projects/americas/corner-brook-acute-care-hospital

www.marcogroup.ca/projects/corner-brook-acute-care-hospital

In the earlier planning years, the Provincial PCs estimated the project would cost around $800 million . The deal inked with Croner Brook Health Partnership is somewhere between $700 million and $750 million . At the outset of the project, the Government of Newfoundland & Labrador noted the project is expected to contribute $460 million to the provinces GDP .

A massive project such as this comes with a significant schedule to match the complexity and value . The sod turning was on August 16, 2019 . Steel erection was completed in mid-October 2020 . With steel finished, concrete work will continue until Christmas 2020 . PCL’s team indicates they are on track for their targeted completion date of November 7, 2023 . The construction team has noted the COVID-19 pandemic has not slowed the schedule . The significant use of a workforce made up of largely of Newfoundland and Labrador skilled trades has meant no self-isolation or quarantine requirements for workers, which otherwise would delay crews and scopes of work .

www.marcogroup.ca/projects/corner-brookacute-care-hospital

www.vocm.com/2019/07/02/province-awardscontract-for-new-corner-brook-hospital

The building does have some unique characteristics such as the 375 geothermal wells drilled under one of the parking lots for sustainable heating and cooling . In addition, there is the prefabricated exterior wall system, providing several advantages for construction crews, including speed of erection and avoiding extended use of a temporary fall arrest system .

As with all significant projects – particularly outside major centres – employment and opportunity is one of the main focuses for local firms and workers . At the outset of the project, the provincial government projected the project would generate over 4,000 person years of employment . Project administrators, who track ongoing workforce and employment statistics, reported that, by mid-August 2020, work had topped 100,000 hours, 90% of which by Newfoundland and Labrador workers .

Once completed, the hospital will serve the residents of the province’s west coast with the same services as the existing Western Memorial Regional Hospital it is replacing, (which is overdue for retirement) . It will include space for a PET scanner and an expanded cancer care program that includes radiation services, a treatment that currently requires area residents to travel long distances to receive . For the next few years, the project is one of the area’s major employers and once operational, will serve as a landmark health complex for west-coast residents .

About the author

Carl Pedersen, B . Tech (CM), PQS, GSC is an Estimator for Bird Construction in Manitoba . With a background in hands-on construction work through a broad range of residential and ICI experience, he now has a primary focus on design-build industrial and light industrial project planning, development and cost management . Carl has also served in various roles on the CIQS Prairies & NWT Chapter including Vice President, Secretary, and Winnipeg Chapter Representative . Carl is also an Assistant to the Editor for the Construction Economist .

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