Location: Truro, Nova Scotia

Client: Colchester East Hants Health Authority

Architect: Architecture 49 in association with Farrow Partnership

Certifications: LEED Canada NC Certified

Size: 384,000 sq. ft.

Project Budget: $155M

The new Colchester East Hants Health Center was designed to promote health and healing and also to connect patients and staff to nature and natural light through a healing garden, courtyards and large windows throughout the facility.  This modern facility serves as the main acute care facility for the residents of Colchester and East Hants Counties and offers 98 inpatient beds (with capacity to expand to 124), emergency services with 30 treatment rooms, surgical services with four operating rooms, a 12-station dialysis suite, intensive care, mental health, maternal child services, medical laboratories, diagnostic imaging with MRI suite, and medical air/oxygen/vacuum piping (designed to CSA Z7396.1-09) throughout.  The mechanical and electrical systems utilize state-of-the-art technology while giving due consideration to safety, the medical environment, flexibility within this environment, reliability, ease of maintenance, energy efficiency, and cost. Sustainable design strategies were adopted to achieve LEED certification for the project, marking the first regional health care facility in Nova Scotia to achieve LEED certification.

M&R Engineering lead the mechanical and electrical design team throughout schematic design, design development and construction document stages and also performed LEED energy modeling. 

Key Facts: 

• A total of 15 air handling units serve the facility in five penthouses
• All air handling units that operate at 100% outdoor air use either a enthalpy heat recovery wheel or a glycol heat recovery system
• Radiant floor heating throughout the facility.
• Heating plant includes two 600 BHP hot water boilers and a 300 BHP high pressure steam boiler
• Cooling plant includes two 450 ton screw chillers and a 600 ton centrifugal chiller, along with three cooling towers
• 3000 kVa emergency power plant
• Variable speed drives on heating pumps
• Dual flush toilets and low flow fixtures
• Occupancy and daylight sensors control lighting
• Energy modeling indicates 44% energy savings compared to the energy code (MNECB 1997)