Stantec Designing COVID-19 Treatment Center in Alberta
By Eric Althoff
CALGARY, Canada—Design-build firm Stantec has been tapped by Alberta Health Services (AHS) and the Government of Alberta to design the first temporary treatment center for COVID-19 within the Canadian province. The firm is working in conjunction with Companies Sprung Structures and CANA Construction, both of Alberta, on a temporary treatment center to be located at the Peter Lougheed Centre, a healthcare complex in Calgary.
The structure for the temporary COVID-19 treatment center, valued at over a quarter-million dollars, was donated by Sprung Structures. As designed by Stantec, the interior of the treatment center at the Peter Lougheed Centre encompasses 8,000 square feet of treatment space for up to 70 additional patients more than the healthcare facility had been able to treat prior.
Stantec, which also has offices in Alberta, was tapped with engineering and design services for the temporary coronavirus treatment center. Stantec’s duties entailed interior design support, architectural planning, as well as being in charge of structural, mechanical and electrical engineering of the project. Stantec is also in charge of equipment sourcing and furniture for the interior. Their design ensures the maximal safety of both healthcare workers and patients when dealing with a pathogen that is incredibly transmissible.
Todd Hartley, senior principal of Stantec, said that his firm has enjoyed a longstanding relationship with the Government of Alberta as well as AHS, so working together on the temporary COVID-19 facility was a natural fit for all concerned.
“As part of a private sector team, which included Sprung Structures and CANA Construction, who collectively brought this concept to AHS, we came together working at [a] rapid pace to execute the design, procurement, and construction in an unprecedented manner,” Hartley said in a recent statement. “We all want to do our part in supporting the COVID-19 response and recovery, and I know our teams feel privileged to support Albertans when they need us the most.”
The initial plan called for the facility to be turned over to AHS at the end of April and to begin accepting new patients by the middle of May, representing an incredibly fast turnaround time on a project required to address the ongoing virus pandemic that has touched all parts of the world, including Canada, which has seen 63,000 cases nationwide and over 4,000 deaths.
The greater Calgary area, known as the “Calgary Zone,” has 63 percent of Alberta’s confirmed coronavirus cases.
Stantec’s executives are utilizing the company’s “Pandemic Response Plan” so that the firm can better monitor and mitigate the spread of the disease by putting safety of employees and patients front and center.