Seven years have passed since crews demolished the old North Vancouver General Hospital, also known as the Activation building, a venerable brick structure at 13th Street E. and St. Georges Avenue on the Lions Gate Hospital site.
Today, a new, six-floor acute care facility to be called the Paul Myers Tower is being built at the site in North Vancouver to accommodate new services and meet the health care needs of residents of the North Shore, Sea-to-Sky corridor, Sunshine Coast, Powell River, Bella Bella, Bella Coola and other areas.
“Construction is well under way in the new tower,” the team at Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) working on the project said in a statement prepared for Journal of Commerce. “The building structure is now complete, including the pouring of the concrete for all six floors and the roof.
“The hospital’s interior design theme has also been finalized, titled Tide to Sky inspired by knowledge of the lands and North Shore landscape, created in partnership with the Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.”
VCH authorities worked with the two First Nations and local Indigenous service providers to plan and design the facility with welcoming spaces and figures, and to support the provision of culturally safe care. The project includes Indigenous art, an elder-in-residence office and sacred spaces, and Two Sisters Outdoor Gathering Space to support the cultural and spiritual needs of Indigenous patients, including ceremonies, smudging, drumming and singing that are important to healing and well-being.
The goal is to promote a connection to land and nature. The outdoor space will include trees and plants that are indigenous to the area and allow for teachings to be shared by the First Nations. The space is named after the nearby Two Sisters mountains, iconic peaks known also by their colonial name “the Lions.”
Construction on the acute care tower began two years ago. It’s been a busy site ever since and is now in the final phase of construction, with work being done on the operating and in-patient rooms, finishes and landscaping.
The acute care tower will include eight state-of-the-art operating rooms, 39 pre- and post-op bays, including two isolation bays and three anaesthesia intervention bays. It will also have 108 single-occupancy private rooms with private ensuite washrooms and 12 airborne isolation/bariatric rooms.
Families will have access to quiet spaces with views of nature. An elders room and a large garden are to be located on the fourth floor. There will also be secured bicycle parking with EV outlets and lockers.
The façade of the tower has been designed to harmonize with the current hospital and HOpe Centre, a facility for individuals dealing with mental health issues, while also exuding a sense of modernity.
The façade features a combination of glass which not only enhances the building’s esthetics but promotes energy efficiency and sustainability.
The exterior design of the tower includes horizontal wood slats to echo traditional longhouse construction, in acknowledgement of the ancestral territories of the two local First Nations on which the facility is built.
Exterior window placement was chosen to suit the functions on each floor and intended to emphasize interior natural light in both patient and staff spaces.
“Its sleek lines, abundant natural light, and Indigenous materials not only create a welcoming atmosphere but also contribute to the overall healing experience for our patients,” the project team states.
Cost of the project is $310 million. The tower will open in winter 2025. PCL Constructors West Coast Inc. is doing the work. There are approximately 350 construction workers on the site.
Lions Gate Hospital and all services on the campus will remain accessible while the work is being completed, posing some safety and logistical hurdles for the contractor. However, plans have been drawn up.
“To ensure that all staff and visitors are kept a safe distance from construction and equipment, certain doorways will be temporarily unavailable,” the project team explains.
Regular updates are being communicated to staff, patients, visitors and the community to keep them informed about construction progress, changes in access, and potential noise levels.
The tower will provide a more comfortable working environment for staff, with an efficient layout to ensure optimal workflows and technology upgrades with real-time outcome measures, including access to electronic medical records and the ability to deliver care virtually from any workstation.
The tower is named after Paul Myers, a North Shore businessman and philanthropist who donated $25 million to a $100-million fundraising campaign sponsored by the Lions Gate Hospital Foundation. He was owner of Keith Plumbing and Heating Co. Ltd., one of the largest mechanical contractors in B.C. and the Yukon.
Lions Gate Hospital is the fourth busiest hospital in Vancouver with 254 beds, eight operating rooms and a variety of diagnostic services and equipment.
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