EllisDon Corp. is the contractor for the Sudbury Regional Hospital project in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.

Premier Business Partners:

Yallowega Blanger Architecture Laurenthian Insulations1982 Ltd. Vipond

In the part of its Web site where EllisDon Corp. lists its project experience, the contractor has more than 50 projects under the healthcare heading, which is more than it has for any other market except commercial.

The company has completed a number of complex healthcare jobs throughout Canada – including the Fall 2007 finish of Brampton Civic Hospital, the largest healthcare infrastructure project in Canada – which, it says, made it a good fit for the Sudbury Regional Hospital project in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.

“Construction is our core business and we are the largest healthcare builder in Canada,” says Jason Stapleton, project manager. “We have a lot of experience with similar projects and we knew we could perform well on this job.”

The $131.8 million build/finance Sudbury Hospital project consists of the construction of a three-story structure, which will include a two-story mechanical penthouse and a vertical addition to the existing north tower that will have a steel-frame helipad. EllisDon is also responsible for site and landscape construction, including the completion of parking spaces, asphalt paving of the internal ring road and the construction of a new ambulance entrance.

The company will be renovating the existing facility, doing the fit-out of shelled-in space constructed as part of phase I of construction, and life-safety renovations to bring the balance of the hospital up to current code requirements for sprinklers and the fire alarm system.

The company says the new construction on this project will span 135,875 square feet, the renovated areas cover 164,542 square feet, the fit-out space is 58,499 square feet and the life-safety renovation is 135,891 square feet. Phase II of construction began March 20, 2007, and is scheduled to be completed in late 2009.

“The south section of the building was completed five years ago,” Stapleton says. “Stage I of this project involved some site work and completing the roadway, parking lots and sewer system. We are mostly finished with stage I, so now we are working in stage II. This stage will involve most of the construction and renovation.”

Communication and Teamwork
This project has gone smoothly, Stapleton says, because EllisDon has worked closely with the owner, subs and consultants since its planning stages to ensure a high level of communication and teamwork. He says the company also uses the “5 P’s” – profit, planning, performance, people and persistence – to properly manage its projects and deliver quality.

“Our subs are all experts in their fields, so we are confident in the qualifications of the people on this job,” Stapleton says. “We spent a lot of time – at least six months – planning this project before we even submitted our proposal.

“We knew this project would have a complicated phasing schedule and we would have to move patients around to get the work done, so we wanted to know exactly how we would execute that before we got to the site. Good projects are all in the planning.”

On-Site Safety
Managing the project while the hospital is in operation has been one of EllisDon’s primary challenges so far.

To ensure patients are safe, the company has installed temporary partitions throughout the building. This allows for better infection control and keeps dust out of occupied areas. “We work very closely with the hospital’s redevelopment team and facilities department,” Stapleton says. “By understanding each other’s tasks, we are striving to minimize the impact construction has on the hospital’s day to day operations.”

“The hospital is good at minimizing scope changes to the work and we believe we will remain on schedule for the remainder of this project by continuing to work together well with everyone else involved,” he says.

Modern Progress
EllisDon explains this project has been guided by the principles of Ontario’s Building a Better Tomorrow program, which strives to ensure public ownership of assets such as hospitals, schools and water and wastewater facilities.

The Sudbury Regional Hospital project is one of many infrastructure projects being upgraded and modernized under ReNew Ontario, the government’s five-year, $30-billion-plus public infrastructure investment plan.

“Modernizing Ontario’s hospital infrastructure is an integral part of improving our healthcare system,” said George Smitherman, Ontario’s Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, in a statement.

“Our investment will provide facilities that are modern, well-maintained, safe and comfortable for patients.”

Healthcare Services
The company explains phase II of this project will consolidate all hospital-based acute and rehabilitation services from three sites to one.

EllisDon says the completion of this project will help to improve healthcare services by providing:

• A new emergency department
• 17 operating rooms
• An expanded intensive care unit
• Modernized medical equipment
• New dialysis stations
• Expanded cardiac rehabilitation services
• Enhanced rehabilitation services for physiotherapy, respiratory and speech