Bird selected as preferred proponent for mental health facility in B.C.

Fraser Health has selected Bird Design-Build Construction Inc. as the preferred proponent to design and build a new mental health facility and energy centre at Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster, B.C.   

The 75-bed Mental Health and Substance Use (MHSU) wellness centre will be a four-storey building with approximately 13,000-square-metres dedicated to both inpatient and outpatient services. The MHSU building will include a two-level bridge link to the existing hospital with one level for patient movement and the other for hospital services. In addition, the building will have a multi-level 450 stall parkade to service the campus. The energy centre is designed to support the needs of the existing campus in addition to the new MHSU building and is sized to support future proposed redevelopment phases. It will house an IT communication hub designed to support Royal Columbian Hospital’s future information technology infrastructure requirements.  The project, targeting LEED Gold certification, is expected to commence construction in early 2017 and be completed in winter 2019.  At this time there can be no assurances that the Company will receive a contract award related to this project.

Ian Boyd, Bird’s president and CEO, stated: “We are proud to be selected as the preferred proponent on this project and look forward to enhancing our existing relationship with Fraser Health.  Projects like these are technically complex, which remain a strategic focus for our Company, and provide the opportunity for our staff to participate in giving back to the New Westminster community through the construction of a facility that will have a lasting positive impact.”