EllisDon is managing all aspects of planning, procurement and construction for the first phase of a redevelopment project for the Calgary Health Region’s Foothills Medical Centre.

Revitalizing an aging medical facility to support advanced technology and increased capacity is just the type of project EllisDon is best at, says Construction Manager Mike Nicolson. The Canadian-based construction management company is supervising a $460 million redevelopment project for the Calgary Health Region's (CHR) Foothills Medical Centre in Alberta, Canada.

“The Calgary Health Region is a knowledgeable client in health care facilities development,” adds Dan Clement, senior project manager. “They understand the construction business and wanted to partner with construction managers with [healthcare] experience.”

The Foothills Medical Centre serves southern Alberta, southeastern British Columbia and southwestern Saskatchewan. It has a partnership with the University of Calgary Faculty of Medicine and the Tom Baker Cancer Centre, all of which are located in close proximity at the Calgary site.

According to the CHR, more than half a million patients visit the hospital each year. With an aging population putting pressure on the capacity at the 42-year-old facility, CHR developed an extensive plan to increase and improve its health services, it says. EllisDon is managing construction of the McCaig Tower, the first phase in CHR's 20-year master plan to redevelop and renovate the existing hospital.

State-of-the-Art Facility
The major challenge with the project, Clement says, is that McCaig Tower is constructed in the back of the existing hospital. This requires the team to complete the new eight-story building while keeping all hospital services and all health care services functioning. McCaig Tower was recently named in honor of the late J.R. “Bud” McCaig, a well-known philanthropist in the Calgary region. McCaig devoted his energy and resources toward improving healthcare locally, Clements says.

“For over 20 years, Mr. McCaig earned a reputation of a tireless volunteer, a dedicated philanthropist and a steadfast supporter of healthcare,” CHR President Jack Davis said in a statement. Once complete, CHR says, the tower “will be one of the most sophisticated clinical facilities in the world.”

McCaig Tower will include a new 36-bed intensive care unit and diagnostic imaging satellite unit; a 93-bed inpatient unit; eight operating rooms; shell space for 16 additional operating rooms as they become needed; a surgical processing department, a lobby and retail space. The Alberta Bone and Joint program will also co-locate to the tower and will include a muskoskeletal clinic, bone and joint surgical rooms and areas for education and research. Additional space at the facility is expected to improve patient access to healthcare. “ICU beds are a critical factor in the region, and adding capacity was the goal of this phase,” Clement says.

EllisDon will manage other renovations and additions to the tower, including a 70-station expansion to the emergency department, a blood-gas lab and updates to the rehabilitation, lab and admissions areas. New technologies installed in the redesigned lab areas will quicken turnaround times on lab testing, CHR says. The tower is expected to be completed in 2010, Clement says.

Future Growth
The Foothills Medical Centre redevelopment project is designed and managed to compensate for future growth, and the master plan addresses the traffic and noise control, greenspace areas, parking access and utility needs of the facility during and after construction, Clements notes.

Challenges include managing the various technological changes that arise when trying to integrate the latest patient diagnostic and treatment equipment, Clements says. Installing the latest radiographic imaging equipment and electronic health records systems in patient treatment rooms were among the challenges the company overcame through close monitoring. In addition, constructing new facilities between the site partners, the University of Calgary and the power plant on the hospital site presented challenges in preparing the footprint of the building. The project team had to reroute the heating, cooling, electrical and waste disposal services while keeping the existing hospital functioning, Nicolson says.

“Clearing the footprint involved removing every service and relocating it through a temporary tunnel,” he adds. “All of our workers know that the first priority is to keep the existing [hospital] running, and that patient care as well as staff operations take priority over construction.”

Clients First
EllisDon is honest and transparent with its clients and subcontractors on every project, Nicolson says. “The three key words we repeat [at the company] are openness, honesty and respect,” he says.

The company culture is to make clients' needs the top priority, Nicolson adds. Through its “client first” program, the company's management meets with each client to discuss the roles, responsibilities and expectations of the project. Clients receive a draft of the Client Charter of Rights and Code of Conduct with every contract, which both highlight EllisDon's commitment to completing projects in and organized, efficient an professional manner.