New hospital in Newfoundland features Canada’s largest geothermal system

The new Western Memorial Regional Hospital features Canada’s largest geothermal system and the largest solution of its kind for a health care facility in North America. The geothermal field, some 600 feet below the hospital’s parking lot, provides 100% of the ground source geothermal heating for the hospital.

Along with efficiency provisions, the system is projected to reduce total operational costs by 12% over 30 years. The energy-efficient building is powered by a combination of electrical and geothermal energy, eliminating the use of fossil fuels and reducing overall energy consumption.

LED fixtures that are operated by lighting control systems equipped with daylight sensors and occupancy sensors provide light throughout the facility. The geothermal system was also key to eliminating cooling towers at the hospital, which will save up to two million gallons of water per year.

The new, modern 164-bed, seven-story acute care hospital includes individual inpatient rooms, state-of-the-art treatment rooms, and enhanced diagnostics systems. The facility, replacing an older institution, will deliver enhancements to essential health care services and the patient experience:

• Medical imaging capacity will be increased with a second MRI machine, two additional ultrasound machines, and one additional cardiac echo machine for diagnosing heart issues.
• The surgery and procedure unit will have an additional endoscopy suite.
• The mental health units will welcome improvements to inpatient areas with added family spaces, a fitness room, a relaxation room, and access to a secure outdoor terrace.
• The renal care program will have potential capacity for up to 24 dialysis patients, up from 15 in our current space.
• Additional registration desks which will improve patient flow to ambulatory care clinics, maternal newborn and pediatrics, and surgery and procedure units.
• Expanded chemotherapy services will increase from 10 to 15 patient spaces.

Owner and/or developer: Plenary Americas
Design-builder: PCL/MARCO, A joint venture
Architects: Parkin/B+H, A joint venture
MEP engineer: Cahill Plan Group JV
Structural engineer: WSP Canada Group Limited
Geothermal: Geosource Energy