KGH Site Update

Well, it’s been quite some time since we last updated you on the construction goings-on
at Kelowna General Hospital. But that doesn’t mean the guys doing the real work have
been sitting still. Quite the opposite, in fact. Work has been proceeding at a furious rate.
(Check out the photos at http://buildingpatientcare.ca/photogallery.)

If you haven’t been to KGH in a while, you’ll be surprised at the changes in the main
lobby. The new patient care tower has now been joined to the old hospital right about
where the old ambulance and emergency department entrance were. So we’ve moved
the ER waiting area into the lobby, setup a triage desk, and reconfigured the rest of the
lobby.

We think things went pretty well. But we’d love to hear what you think. We’re making the
best of a tricky situation as we turn KGH into a patient care facility for the future.

Construction in the rest of the tower is going well also. The second and third floors are
mostly finished being drywalled. Painting has begun, and millwork (e.g. cabinetry and
fixed furniture) is ready to be installed.

The fourth floor, where the major mechanical and electrical heart of the tower will be
located, is well underway. And the fifth and sixth floors are being readied for patient
rooms.

Installation of the elevators is an interesting story. Because of the large size of the
elevators, the elevator cabs need to be brought in piece by piece and installed inside the
elevator shaft. And speaking of elevator shafts – the main elevator shaft that goes to the
roof to meet incoming helicopter transport patients is almost complete. The heli-pad will
be built in the coming year.

Other things you’ll notice if you wander by KGH is that the outside of the building is
starting to look like a real building in places, as the exterior finishes are being put on.
And the landscaping is all done over at the University of BC and Interior Health Clinical
Academic Campus.

Across the street from the patient care tower, you’ll notice a big pile of dirt. This is the
pre-load to densify the site for the construction of the Clinical Support Building (CSB)
that is the first phase of the Interior Heart and Surgical Centre Project. We’re pretty
excited to announce that the Request for Proposals seeking a builder for the CSB goes
out this summer.