PCL starts Vancouver hospital construction expected to last six years

Ontario Construction News staff writer

PCL Construction has started work on a $2.2 billion hospital construction project expected to last six years and employ more than 8,500 workers is in Vancouver.

After naming a team led by PCL as the winning bidder last month, Providence Health Care and the British Columbia government announced that work is underway on the new St. Paul’s Hospital – the largest hospital redevelopment project in the province’s history. The new facility is being built on an 18.4-acre site in the False Creek Flats area.

“The new St. Paul’s Hospital will be home to world-class public health care as well as research and a teaching centre that will help transform patient care for people in B.C.,” said Adrian Dix, BC minister of health.

The new facility is being called an internationally renowned, full-service, acute-care hospital and integrated health campus with capacity for up to 548 beds, which includes 115 new beds.

“PCL is honoured to work with Providence Health Care to bring this world-class health care facility to Vancouver,” said PCL vice president and district manager Jeff Murphy.

“We take great pride in knowing that we can help make a genuine difference in our community for patients and their families. Our company is proud of all the projects we build, and the new St. Paul’s Hospital will be another exceptional facility where our health care building expertise shines through.”

HDR Architecture Associates, Inc. and Stantec Architecture Ltd., are the architects on the project.

The site will house several leading provincial programs and referral centres including heart and lung care, renal, specialty surgeries and transplants, and eating disorders.

“This is an exciting step toward a new hospital that will benefit not only Vancouver but British Columbia as a whole,” said Melanie Mark, MLA for Vancouver-Mount Pleasant. “I am proud that Vancouver-Mount Pleasant will be home to this state-of-the-art health-care facility and look forward to the doors opening for the community.”

St. Paul’s Hospital will continue to be a teaching hospital, training University of British Columbia medical students, British Columbia Institute of Technology nursing students and other health-sector professions.

“The new St. Paul’s Hospital will serve more people and offer even better access to the public health care people have come to expect,” said Brenda Bailey, MLA for Vancouver-False Creek. “The project will also offer a boost to our economy through the jobs it’s creating, which is fantastic news.”

The cost of the new hospital is $2.174 billion. The provincial government is investing $1.327 billion. St. Paul’s Foundation has committed to raising $125 million, and Providence Health Care will pay the balance by selling the of old St. Paul’s property.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build an innovative new hospital and health campus from the ground up to better serve B.C. for the next 125 years,” said Fiona Dalton, president and chief executive officer, Providence Health Care.