Supporting life-saving healthcare facilities to do their best work is our privilege and a major driving force behind what we do here at Belroc.
So when we were offered the chance to work with our colleagues at PCL Constructors on a project that’s close to all of our hearts – literally – we were honoured to accept.
Five years ago, the University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI) announced a major renovation and expansion scheme aimed at helping Canada’s largest cardiovascular centre to meet the demands of a growing and changing patient population.
At the heart of the project was a new five-story building housing the hospital’s Cardiac Life Support Services and including clinical and outpatient services, eight laboratories, five operating theatres, a 27-bed intensive care unit, staff spaces and a top-floor mechanical room. The redevelopment also included interior renovations to the existing Heart Institute Life Support level to improve visitor flow in the main lobby, expand diagnostic imaging, reconfigure the ambulance entrance and add a new loading dock.
Customized solutions
Over the duration of this extensive project, we worked closely with PCL and the teams at UOHI to ensure a seamless outcome based on a supply-only arrangement due to the scale and prolonged schedule of the works. The interiors featured some very unique layouts designed to deliver the most versatile & cutting-edge care, so we had to cater for some irregular shaped spaces. We provided Optitrac ultra-quiet curtain track for a wide range of patient spaces, including custom configurations where necessary. We also supplied vinyl and stainless steel corner guards, handrail and crashrail, plus vinyl sheeting for wall protection in high traffic and clinical areas, and a range of accessories.
Then in 2020, PCL’s Project Manager reached out to us with an additional request. When the initial construction scope was complete, UOHI decided to out-fit a 25,000-square-foot unfinished space . This allowed them to expand their clinical areas, including the addition of hybrid robotic and image-guided operating rooms, it also facilitated the relocation of 5 ICU beds from the basement to the roof. Wall protection and accessories were required for this space, and this time Belroc was asked to supply and install, which we were delighted to do.
Our work on the second phase of this project was completed during a highly challenging time for all hospitals and we are proud to say that we worked closely with PCL and UOHI to facilitate a seamless, Covid-safe installation while the hospital as a whole remained operational throughout.
The cardiac surgical ICU represents perhaps one of the biggest transformations of the entire project. The spacious rooms include a nursing station for a one-to-one patient-nurse ratio; importantly, they’re brighter and quieter.
“Being in the basement for so long (a post-surgical stay) was traumatic to patients,” said Dr. Thierry Mesana, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Institute. In the new ICU the ceiling lifts for additional headroom while articulated arms can position patients so they can look out on panoramic views as they recuperate.
Gord Fitzpatrick, PCL Project Manager added: “We were very happy with the service we received from Belroc on this project. What we appreciated the most was that throughout the project Owen was always available, and he personally attended to any of our requests. While no big project in the real world ever runs 100% smoothly, the key to us was that Owen and Belroc were always available to speak to us and they quickly addressed any issues that needed to be resolved in order to keep the project moving forward. Belroc always came through, and I look forward to working with them again on another project in the future.”
