RC119 JulyAugust 2025 - Magazine - Page 29
organic and porous nature of wood harbours microorganisms and
makes their elimination more di昀케cult—fears that Groen said have
long led to the use of thermoplastic for wall protection in North American healthcare facilities and restricted the use of wood to canopies
and entrance halls, never as a complete building solution.
To assuage those fears, Groen said the PECMH design incorporated
novel elements like the inclusion of steel details under each column to
lift them o昀昀 the 昀氀oor and make 昀氀oor cleaning and maintenance easier.
Similarly, in an e昀昀ort to expose as much
wood as possible and make cleaning and
maintenance easier, the PECMH design
featured a new strategy that shifts services
like ductwork, electrical, and communications that typically run in the ceilings above
standard 2.4-metre-wide hospital corridors,
which allow two-way tra昀케c for stretchers,
to washrooms in inpatient rooms adjacent
to the corridor. “Those are wet areas where
we wouldn’t want to expose the mass timber
anyway,” said Groen.
Though HDR has experience spanning decades in mass timber construction across Canada, including the building of a trio of buildings
at the Canadian Nuclear Laboratories in Chalk River, Ont., Groen said
the PECMH project has garnered interest among infrastructure players
and policy makers from as far away as Australia, who are interested
in learning about such a liberal approach to the construction of a tradi-
tionally conservative building.
“It’s been exciting to learn from and build on the work of such great
talent at HDR in pushing for mass timber adoption in one of the most
non-standard applications in North America,” said Groen. “If we can
use mass timber for the total structure of a hospital, perhaps we can
prove we can use it in virtually any building type.”
For her part, Daubs said the new PECMH build has given the people of Prince Edward County a common sense of pride and purpose.
“Timber used to be used for ship building but today the region is
famous for farms and vineyards… and barns in particular are one of the
county’s most visible and recognizable tourist marketing symbols.”
RENEWCANADA.NET
In addition to providing better services to the public, Daubs believes the new building and its cutting-edge equipment and esthetic
design and appeal with also help to recruit and retain health care
professionals and personnel.
“It’s so esthetically supportive for clinicians,” said Daubs. “There
will even be a garden area for hospital sta昀昀. It will allow them a
chance to take a moment in a busy world.”
JULY/AUGUST2025 – RENEW CANADA 29
