Four contractors have won 2017 Silver Awards of Excellence from the Vancouver Regional Construction Association (VRCA) for their part in the Joseph and Rosalie Segal Family Health Centre project (JRSFHC).
The winners are EllisDon Corporation, in the General Contractors – Over $45 Million category; Division 15 Mechanical Ltd. (Mechanical Contractors – Over $8 Million); Houle Electric Limited (Electrical Contractors – Over $8 Million); and Maxwell Floors Ltd. (Trade Contractors – Up to $1 Million).
Built on the main site of Vancouver General Hospital (VGH), the JRSFHC has 100 private rooms, each with its own washroom.
It is the largest purpose-built facility of its kind for people with mental health and substance-use issues in British Columbia.
The eight-storey building, which was completed in August, 2017 and is targeted for LEED Gold, consolidates in-patient and out-patient services under one roof.
Commenting on EllisDon’s role in the project, judges said, "The complexity of this…facility was overcome by EllisDon’s collaborative team approach. The lack of lay-down areas meant major co-ordination efforts were involved in ordering materials to arrive on-site at precisely the correct time."
EllisDon business development co-ordinator Jeff Waters says the facility’s plan includes an in-patient unit that revolves around the central care team base.
"Each in-patient unit has its own glassed-in outdoor terrace and there are outdoor terraces on the rooftop and on Level 4," Waters said.
One of the project’s biggest challenges was its connection to the adjacent VGH.
"The Segal building is linked to the VGH’s fire protection and security systems," Waters said. "This required careful co-ordination and testing to ensure that hospital operations were not affected."
Division 15 Mechanical Ltd. designed, built and installed HVAC, plumbing and fire protection for the project.
"Daily co-operation and co-ordination between trades during this project was critical to its success," said the judges.
James Dixon, Division 15 Mechanical Ltd. commissioning manager, says the biggest challenges the company faced were the aggressive time-line and the fact that the facility is built on the crowded main VGH campus.
"Excellent logistics during the project were essential to not upset the normal functions of the hospital with the noise and deliveries that are part of construction," said Dixon.
"We needed to be in close communication with the hospital all the time."
But the effort was no hardship for the construction team.
"It’s the first new mental health facility to be built in B.C. in a long time, and we wanted to make sure everything was done properly," Dixon said. "It’s a special facility for a special group of people."
Houle Electric Limited designed, built and installed a dual-source lighting system that allows two sources of power to light a room while maintaining a single local control for users.
Judges said, "Houle designed a complex multi-power source system for each room and was able to maintain one simple lighting controls for users."
Houle project manager Tamin Alabed says multiple power sources were installed in every patient’s room because of safety concerns.
"In case of an outage on one of the sources, the second source will provide the required redundancy, so patients and staff are not left in a dark area," Alabed said.
"If there were a total facility power outage, a generator backup would bring one source of lighting back online within 10 seconds."
Maxwell Floors Ltd.’s work on the project was commended by the Silver Award judges.
"The Durable Altro product was used to stand up to wear and tear as both the flooring and wall covering in critical areas," the stated.
Flooring durability in the facility is a concern, says Maxwell Floors Ltd. president Rick Wagner.
"The specialty vinyl flooring product we installed is composed of carbon, distilled water and 65 per cent salt, creating a high-performance resilient flooring product with low maintenance costs," Wagner said.
Maxwell Floors Ltd. used many different colours, to give a sense of being in a forest, and wood elements, to provide a sense of warmth.
"Together they break up the institutional look, and make it a place of healing and recovery," Wagner said.
Forty-five VRCA Silver Award winners in 15 project categories were selected on such criteria as innovative techniques, new materials or exceptional project management.
Recent Comments
comments for this post are closed