Case Study: Stuart Lake Hospital Replacement
About This Project
The Stuart Lake Hospital Replacement Project is a new healthcare facility in Fort St. James, British Columbia, developed to replace the existing hospital that had served the community for more than 50 years. The new facility brings together multiple healthcare services under one roof, including acute care, long-term care, and an integrated primary care centre, improving access to essential medical services for local residents.
The facility provides 27 patient beds, including 18 long-term care beds and 9 acute care beds, along with an expanded emergency department, diagnostic imaging, laboratory services, and palliative care spaces. The project also incorporates healing gardens and spiritual space developed in consultation with the local community and Indigenous Elders, contributing to a supportive care environment that reflects the cultural context of the region and creates a more welcoming setting for patients and families.
Construction of the new hospital took place while the existing hospital remained fully operational. This created an important need to carefully manage and monitor construction-related noise and vibration to avoid disruption to patients, healthcare staff, and nearby properties.
The new hospital officially began receiving patients in January 2025 and represents an important step in strengthening healthcare infrastructure for communities across northern British Columbia.
Scope of services
BKL was engaged to provide specialized consulting services for construction noise and vibration monitoring and management, helping ensure that construction activities were carried out safely and in accordance with project requirements.
BKL’s scope of services included the following key components:
- Pre-construction vibration assessment: BKL conducted a pre-construction vibration survey to establish existing conditions and identify vibration-sensitive areas. This information helped define appropriate vibration thresholds and provided a reference point for evaluating construction-related impacts.
- Noise modelling and noise control planning: BKL developed a three-dimensional noise model to predict expected noise levels from construction activities. Based on this analysis, BKL prepared a noise control plan outlining the predicted noise levels, noise and vibration monitoring strategies, and practical mitigation measures suited to site conditions. Prior to the start of the construction and during mobilization, BKL carried out on-site measurements to confirm noise and vibration modelling assumptions.
- Installation and operation of long-term monitoring systems: BKL installed a long-term monitoring system consisting of noise and vibration monitors at key locations inside the existing hospital and around the site. By continuously tracking noise and vibration levels throughout construction and providing objective data, this system helped ensure activities remained within acceptable limits.
- Construction-phase ongoing noise and vibration reporting: BKL carried out periodic noise and vibration reporting throughout the project. Summary reports were provided regularly to document measured conditions, helping the project team track trends and respond as needed. The monitoring program was implemented across two phases, ensuring continuous oversight during key construction periods and supporting effective management of potential impacts.
- Support in addressing noise and vibration concerns: Where questions or concerns related to noise or vibration arose, BKL provided technical analysis and data interpretation to support informed evaluation and response.
Project benefits
BKL’s involvement provided the project team with reliable data and technical guidance to manage construction-related noise and vibration, while supporting continued healthcare operations at the existing facility.
- Supporting a stable care environment during construction: Through continuous monitoring and regular reporting, BKL helped the project team track noise and vibration conditions and reduce the potential for disruption to patients, staff, and ongoing medical services. This was particularly important for sensitive areas such as patient rooms, emergency spaces, and care areas requiring a quiet environment.
- Providing a technical basis for informed decision-making: The predictive modelling and monitoring data provided clear insight into the effects of construction activities, allowing the project team to implement appropriate control measures when needed.
- Helping construction progress smoothly and responsibly: Ongoing monitoring helped identify potential issue early, allowing the project team to respond promptly and maintain construction progress. Where concerns were raised by hospital staff or the surrounding community, objective measurement data helped support clear communication and appropriate resolution.
By providing construction noise and vibration monitoring services throughout the project, BKL supported the effective management of construction-related impacts and contributed to the successful delivery of a new healthcare facility serving the Fort St. James community and surrounding region.
Project name
Stuart Lake Hospital Replacement
Year Completed
2025
Capital Cost
$158.3 million CAD
Total Area
6,300 m²